US embassy working to evacuate Americans from Israel: Huckabee
Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, said Wednesday the federal government is working to evacuate U.S. citizens from the country as an escalating conflict with Iran enters its sixth day.
'Urgent notice! American citizens wanting to leave Israel- US Embassy in Israel @usembassyjlm is working on evacuation flights & cruise ship departures,' Ambassador Mike Huckabee posted on X.
He noted Americans must enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive updates and alerts on travel.
The State Department on Saturday authorized family members of U.S. personnel and non-emergency employees to depart Israel 'due to the volatile and unpredictable security situation in the region.'
The State Department currently advises against travel to Israel, citing the risk of armed conflict, terrorism and civil unrest.
Hundreds of thousands of Americans live in Israel, many with dual citizenship.
Other countries have also started evacuating citizens from Israel.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Tuesday that Beijing was starting evacuations.
'The ministry and embassies are making every effort to protect the safety of Chinese nationals in Iran and Israel and to swiftly organize the evacuation of Chinese nationals,' Guo said during a daily press briefing.
Thailand's prime minister on Tuesday said the Air Force has planes on standby to evacuate some 40,000 Thai citizens in Israel, who mostly work in agriculture.
Some European countries have also moved to pull citizens out of the country, Politico reported on Tuesday.
The Polish Foreign Ministry announced it would evacuate about 200 citizens; the Czech Republican said it has evacuated about 70 citizens; and Lithuania said it would begin evacuations Tuesday.
Israel launched its largest-ever attack on Iran on June 13, prompting retaliatory strikes from Iran. A tit-for-tat exchange of missile strikes has continued through the week, as President Trump reportedly considers joining Israel's campaign to destroy Tehran's nuclear facilities.
With the country's main airport closed, Israel's government also issued a do-not-travel advisory telling citizens to avoid flying into Egypt and Jordan and entering Israel by land.
'We would like to reiterate that a Level 4 travel warning applies to the areas of the Sinai and Jordan, reflecting a high threat,' said a message from Israel's National Security Council. 'We recommend avoiding arrival to these areas. These warnings are especially important during this tense period.'
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