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The State Department is ramping up evacuation efforts in the Middle East amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran and indications that the US may join Israel in launching strikes on Iran.
Some shit you should know before you read: In the last 24 hours, the conflict between Israel and Iran has continued to escalate with increasingly devastating strikes on both sides. Israeli forces launched a wave of targeted airstrikes against critical infrastructure inside Iran, including the inactive Arak heavy water reactor as well as a major water purification facility near Natanz, a site long suspected of housing uranium enrichment operations. These attacks, part of Israel’s broader campaign to dismantle Iran’s nuclear and military capabilities, marked some of the most direct and high-profile strikes to date. In retaliation, Iran fired a barrage of missiles and drones into Israeli territory, with at least one precision strike hitting a hospital in the northern city of Haifa. Iranian authorities have denied targeting the hospital, instead claiming to target two military buildings nearby (claims Israel disputes). Amid this intensifying exchange, there’s been a notable surge in US military assets to the Middle East.
What’s going on now: First reported by AP and confirmed by various Israeli media outlets, the United States has initiated the evacuation of nonessential diplomatic personnel and their families from Israel as the conflict with Iran continues to escalate. At least one government aircraft departed from Tel Aviv on Wednesday carrying US diplomats and their families who had requested to leave under the State Department’s “authorized departure” status, which allows for voluntary, government-funded evacuation of non-emergency staff.
The situation has been further complicated by conflicting messages from US officials regarding assistance for private American citizens. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced on X that the embassy was preparing evacuation flights and cruise ship departures for Americans seeking to leave the country. However, just hours later, the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs issued a statement saying there were no official evacuation plans for private citizens at this time.
This comes as the US has expanded its evacuation measures across the broader region, including evacuations from embassies in Iraq, Bahrain, and Kuwait. The Pentagon has also repositioned key military personnel and equipment across the Middle East, with some believing that these are clear indications the US may be preparing for a conflict with Iran.
