TEL AVIV — The United States told some embassy staff on Friday that they may leave Israel — and that they must do so quickly as fears of an American attack on Iran have raised alarm across the region.
A message from Ambassador Mike Huckabee’s email sent to the US mission instructed those wishing to leave “as soon as today”. NBC News has seen the email, which was first reported by the New York Times.
Huckabee said in an email that the guidance was issued “on increased alert” after meetings and calls through the night, including conversations with the State Department.
“No need to panic,” the email read. “For those who want to leave, it’s important to make plans to leave soon.”
Citing an increase in demand from Israel after the embassy move, he urged anyone wanting to leave to go ahead and book flights.
Meanwhile, the State Department announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Israel on Monday to discuss a “range of regional priorities,” including Iran.
The latest round of talks between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear program ended on Thursday with no sign of progress. President Donald Trump has overseen a massive military buildup in the Middle East, America’s largest in decades.
A person briefed on the talks and a source familiar with the meeting told NBC News that Vice President JD Vance will meet Friday in Washington with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who brokered the talks in Geneva.
Sources said the meeting will include other US officials. It comes as there is ongoing debate about what Trump may or may not do about Iran.
Iran has threatened to attack US bases in the region if attacked and could also draw an escalation in Israel, which fought a 12-day war with Iran in June.
In a public announcement early Friday, the US Embassy in Jerusalem confirmed that non-emergency government personnel and family members would be allowed to leave Israel, citing “security risks.” It did not elaborate on the risks leading to an “official exit”. The move comes on the heels of an ordered departure this week for some staff at the US Embassy in Beirut.
Several countries have begun withdrawing diplomatic staff and dependents of non-essential personnel from some parts of the Middle East, or are advising citizens to avoid traveling to Iran.
Britain said on Friday it had taken “precautionary action to temporarily withdraw UK personnel from Iran”, citing the “ongoing security situation”.
China on Friday advised its citizens to avoid traveling to Iran and urged those in the country to evacuate as soon as possible, citing the security situation, state news agency Xinhua reported. Citing “rising security risks in the Middle East”, its embassy in Israel asked Chinese citizens living in the country to strengthen their security precautions and emergency preparations.
Airlines such as Netherlands-based KLM have already announced plans to suspend flights from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport.
A third round of talks took place in Geneva, with Trump making an even clearer case for a possible attack as he oversees a massive military build-up in the region.
Two people familiar with the talks told NBC News that the talks in Geneva were “positive” from the Trump administration’s perspective. Sources declined to share details of the talks.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had a positive view of the talks, which he said were indirect and lasted about six hours.
Badr al-Busaidi, the mediator and key regional interlocutor Oman’s Foreign Minister, said the talks at X had wrapped up with “significant progress in the dialogue”.
He said talks “will resume soon after consultations in the respective capitals”, with technical discussions expected in Vienna next week.
