Americans urged to leave 14 Middle East countries amid war with Iran

The US State Department is urging Americans to leave 14 Middle Eastern countries as Iran was expanded on Tuesday with Iranian representatives being swept away and Iran continuing its retaliatory fire.

Americans were urged Monday night to “depart now” from Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. They were urged to leave “using available commercial transportation, due to serious safety risks.”

More than a million Americans are believed to be in the region, one source said.

The State Department also ordered all non-emergency U.S. government personnel and families of government personnel to leave Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

Some US embassies in the region are closed.

The US embassy in Saudi Arabia was attacked by two drones, causing a small fire and limited damage, the Saudi Defense Ministry said on Monday. The embassy urged American citizens in Riyadh and the major commercial cities of Dhahran and Jeddah to shelter in place. He said it would be closed Tuesday.

The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait also said Tuesday that it was closed until further notice “due to ongoing regional tensions” and that consular appointments were canceled. It was closed a day after smoke was seen rising from the mission following Iranian attacks on the country.

The United States and Israel began attacking Iran on Saturday as President Trump described Monday as the “last best opportunity” to address the threat posed by Iran’s ballistic missiles and nuclear program. He articulated the reasons said it decided to order strikes, bombing more than 1,000 targets in the first days of what it said could be a weeks-long conflict. They include destroying Iran’s missile capabilities, annihilating Iran’s navy, and preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

Six American troops have been killed during the war, while 18 others have been seriously injured. The Iranian Red Crescent said at least 787 people have died in Iran.

Now, Americans (and stranded travelers amid regional airport and airspace closures, they are trying to figure out how to get out of the region.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said overnight: “We are receiving many requests regarding evacuation from Israel of US citizens who are currently in Israel or who have family here.”

In a lengthy social media post, Huckabee described how people can leave Israel, noting that “there are VERY LIMITED options.” He said the U.S. Embassy was not in a position to evacuate or directly help Americans leave the country.

The State Department said Americans who need government help arranging travel can call +1-202-501-4444 from abroad or +1-888-407-4747 from the US and Canada.