US advises embassy staff in Israel to leave now as tensions rise in Iran
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio will make a quick trip to Israel early next week as tensions rise between the United States and Iran amid a massive buildup of U.S. forces in the Middle East, the State Department said Friday.
The department said in a statement that Rubio would visit Israel on Monday and Tuesday to “discuss a number of regional priorities including Iran, Lebanon and ongoing efforts to implement President Trump’s 20-Point Peace Plan for Gaza.” He offered no other details.
The announcement comes just hours after the US Embassy in Jerusalem implemented “authorized departure” status for non-essential personnel and their family members, meaning eligible personnel can leave the country voluntarily at the government’s expense.
The US embassy in Israel on Friday told its staff they could leave the country and urged anyone considering doing so to do so immediately.
In an email, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee urged staff considering leaving to do so quickly, advising them to initially focus on securing any flights leaving Israel and then head to Washington.
“Those who wish to take AD must do so TODAY,” Huckabee wrote, using an acronym for “authorized departure.”
“While there may be departure flights in the coming days, there may not be any,” he added. Huckabee said there was no need to panic, but for those who wanted to leave it was important to make plans soon.
AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg
The email was told to The News by someone involved in the U.S. mission who was not authorized to share details.
The email came a day after Iran and the United States left nuclear negotiations without reaching an agreement, in their third round of nuclear talks in Geneva. Technical discussions are scheduled to take place in Vienna next week.
US Vice President JD Vance will meet later Friday in Washington with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who has been mediating during the talks, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting who spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting is private.
Earlier, al-Busaidi said significant progress had been made on Thursday, although officials in Iran and the United States have not announced any steps forward.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi offered no details Thursday but said “what needs to happen has been clearly explained on our side.”
According to a confidential International Atomic Agency report distributed to member states and seen Friday by The News, Iran has not granted the U.N. nuclear watchdog access to its nuclear facilities affected by the 12-day war in June and, as a result, cannot confirm whether or not Iran has stopped its enrichment or the size of its arsenal.
Airlines such as Netherlands-based KLM have already announced plans to suspend flights from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport, and other embassies have also made plans for authorized departures from Israel and neighboring countries.
Meanwhile, Britain’s Foreign Office said that “due to the security situation, UK staff have been temporarily withdrawn from Iran.” He said the embassy was operating remotely.
Australia “on Wednesday ordered the departure of all dependents of Australian officials stationed in Israel in response to the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East.” China, India and several European countries with missions in Iran advised citizens to also avoid traveling to the country.
China’s Foreign Ministry also advised its citizens already in Iran to leave, according to a statement reported by Chinese state media.
At a public meeting Friday after the email was sent, Huckabee told staff he was encouraging airlines to keep flying.
The departure authorizations signal a new level of contingency planning as a massive fleet of American planes and warships mass in the Middle East.
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Sam Metz reported from Ramallah, West Bank, and Lee from Washington. Seung Min Kim in Washington and Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed to this report.