The US State Department allows embassy staff in Israel to leave country due to security risks

The US State Department has allowed support staff at the US Embassy in Israel and their family members to leave the country amid security risks in the region.

This was stated in a statement from the embassy on February 27.

They added that US government officials may be restricted or banned from traveling to certain areas of Israel, Jerusalem, and the West Bank.

US citizens are advised to leave Israel "while commercial flights are available".

The US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee sent a letter to his colleagues the same day, announcing that those who were allowed to leave Israel “should do so today”, The New York Times reports. According to Huckabee, “there is no need to panic”, but flights should be booked as soon as possible.

The ambassador said the decision was made "out of an abundance of caution" after consulting with the State Department. He stressed that the safety of workers is a priority.

The NYT notes that allowing embassy staff to leave Israel indicates that the US is preparing a strike on Iran. Earlier this week, the US evacuated non-commissioned staff from its embassy in Lebanon, a country where the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group operates.

Politico recently reported that senior advisers to the US president want Israel to strike Iran first — even before American troops could enter the war.

According to them, the administration believes that an Israeli attack could provoke Iran to respond. This would help the White House gain broader support among the American public for a possible strike.

Why the US wants to attack Iran

Tensions between Iran and the US have escalated due to the lack of progress in negotiations on the nuclear deal. Media outlets, citing sources, say the US is considering options to attack Iran to increase pressure.

On February 1, Trump said that Iran was in “serious talks” with the United States about its nuclear program, and hinted at a “satisfactory” deal that would avoid military action. Trump said that based on the results of the talks, he would decide what to do with Iran.

Iran said on February 15 that it was ready to consider compromises to reach a nuclear deal with the United States if the Americans were ready to discuss lifting sanctions. On February 20, Trump said that within the next 10 days the world would know whether the United States would be able to reach a nuclear deal with Iran or resort to military action.

Another round of talks between the US and Iran took place in Geneva on February 26, but were unsuccessful. The parties agreed to continue talks next week.

Meanwhile, the US is ramping up its military presence in the Middle East. It has already deployed two carrier strike groups, dozens of fighter jets, reconnaissance aircraft and tanker aircraft to the region, the largest concentration of US military power in the region since 2003. The US also sent a group of F-22 “Raptor” fighter jets to Israel two days before the talks.

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