Jerusalem: The United States will allow non-essential personnel and family members at its embassy in Israel to depart voluntarily due to heightened safety risks, the US Embassy in Jerusalem announced on Friday amid fears of a wider military conflict with Iran.
It’s not a must-leave order, rather an ‘authorised departure’ whereby the staff can choose to leave if they want. It is pertinent to mention the US did order some staff to leave its embassy in Beirut earlier this week.
Although the embassy did not give details on the exact risks in Israel, tension has been running high following the US building up one of its biggest military deployments in West Asia as it negotiates with Iran over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear programme.
The latest round of talks ended on Thursday with no sign of a breakthrough.
Iran has threatened to hit American bases in the region if it is attacked. This could pull Israel into the battle, too. Iran and Israel fought a short but fierce 12-day war in June last year.
According to news agency reports, several other countries are also pulling out family members of diplomats and non-essential staff from some locations in West Asia. Some are advising their citizens to stay away from Iran amid escalating tensions between the US and Iran.
