US orders departure of family members and non-emergency US personnel from Lebanon
US orders departure of family members and non-emergency US personnel from Lebanon
BEIRUT/ WASHINGTON - The U.S. State Department ordered the departure of family members and non-emergency U.S. government personnel from Lebanon citing the volatile security situation in the region, a State Department notice emailed to U.S. citizens in Lebanon showed on Sunday.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
The world awaited Iran's response on Sunday after President Donald Trump said the U.S. had "obliterated" Tehran's most sensitive nuclear sites, joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution.
The U.S. had last year ordered the departure of family members and non-essential staff during Israel's war in Lebanon that had dealt severe blows to Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, but that order was later lifted.
KEY QUOTE
"On June 22, 2025, the U.S. Department of State ordered the departure of family members and non-emergency U.S. government personnel from Lebanon due to the volatile and unpredictable security situation in the region," the State Department said in its notice.
CONTEXT
The Israel-Iran war, which began on June 13 with Israeli attacks on Iran, has raised further alarms in a region that was already on edge since the start of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023.
The U.S. State Department has a "Level 4: Do Not Travel" advisory for Lebanon. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
40 minutes ago
- CNA
IAEA chief calls 'emergency meeting' for Monday after US strikes on Iran
The head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has announced an "emergency meeting" at the organisation's headquarters in Vienna for Monday (Jun 23) after the US struck Iranian nuclear sites. After US President Donald Trump decided to join Israel's campaign against Tehran's atomic programme, the United States on Sunday bombarded three nuclear sites in Iran, including a uranium-enriching facility at Fordo located 90 metres underground. "In light of the urgent situation in Iran, I am convening an emergency meeting of the @IAEAorg Board of Governors for tomorrow," Rafael Grossi wrote on X on Sunday. The meeting will start at 10am (4pm, Singapore time) at the agency's Vienna headquarters. Trump said the US air strikes, which he said were aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb, though Tehran fiercely denies wanting to do so, "totally obliterated" the Islamic republic's main atomic sites. Speaking to American broadcaster CNN, Grossi said that there were clear signs of the strikes at Fordo, citing satellite images and the IAEA's understanding of the underground facility, which UN inspectors regularly visit. However he said it was too early to judge the extent of the damage. At Natanz, by contrast, the Israeli and US strikes had clearly destroyed the above-ground portion of the facility, he added.
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Security Council meets on Iran as Russia, China push for a ceasefire
UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council met on Sunday (Jun 22) to discuss US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites as Russia, China and Pakistan proposed the 15-member body adopt a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Middle East. It was not immediately clear when it could be put to a vote. The three countries circulated the draft text, said diplomats, and asked members to share their comments by Monday evening. A resolution needs at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the United States, France, Britain, Russia or China to pass. The US is likely to oppose the draft resolution, seen by Reuters, which also condemns attacks on Iran's nuclear sites and facilities. The text does not name the United States or Israel. "The bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities by the United States marks a perilous turn in a region that is already reeling," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council on Sunday. "We now risk descending into a rathole of retaliation after retaliation." "We must act – immediately and decisively – to halt the fighting and return to serious, sustained negotiations on the Iran nuclear programme," Guterres said. The world awaited Iran's response on Sunday after President Donald Trump said the US had "obliterated" Tehran's key nuclear sites, joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution. UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council that while craters were visible at Iran's enrichment site buried into a mountain at Fordow, "no one - including the IAEA - is in a position to assess the underground damage." Grossi said entrances to tunnels used for the storage of enriched material appear to have been hit at Iran's sprawling Isfahan nuclear complex, while the fuel enrichment plant at Natanz has been struck again. "Iran has informed the IAEA there has been no increase in off-site radiation levels at all three sites," said Grossi, who heads the International Atomic Energy Agency. Iran requested the UN Security Council meeting, calling on the 15-member body "to address this blatant and unlawful act of aggression, to condemn it in the strongest possible terms." Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon said in a statement on Sunday that the US and Israel "do not deserve any condemnation, but rather an expression of appreciation and gratitude for making the world a safer place." Danon told reporters before the council meeting that it was still early when it came to assessing the impact of the US strikes. When asked if Israel was pursuing regime change in Iran, Danon said: "That's for the Iranian people to decide, not for us."
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Netanyahu says Israel close to meeting its goals in Iran
Israel is very close to completing its goal of removing the dual threats of Iran's ballistic missiles and nuclear programme, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday. He promised not to let Israel be dragged into a war of attrition but also said he would not end the Iran campaign prematurely. "We won't pursue our actions beyond what is needed to achieve them, but we also won't finish too soon. When the objectives are achieved, then the operation is complete and the fighting will stop," he told Israeli reporters. "I have no doubt that this is a regime that wants to wipe us out, and that's why we embarked on this operation to eliminate the two concrete threats to our existence: the nuclear threat, the ballistic missile threat. We are moving step by step towards achieving these goals. We are very, very close to completing them," he said. He said Iran's Fordow nuclear site had been very badly damaged by U.S. bunker-buster bombs overnight but the extent of damage remained to be seen. Tehran has vowed to defend itself at all costs. Asked about the whereabouts of Iran's 60% enriched uranium, Netanyahu said: "We've been following that very closely. I can tell you that it's an important component of a nuclear programme. "It's not the sole component. It's not a sufficient component. But it is an important component and we have interesting intel on that, which you will excuse me if I don't share with you," he said. At least until Israel's first strikes against its enrichment installations on June 13, Iran was refining uranium to up to 60% purity, a short step from the roughly 90% that is bomb-grade and far higher than the 3.67% cap imposed by a 2015 nuclear deal, which Iran respected until the year after U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out in 2018. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
