U.S. Embassy in Israel offering evacuations on flights and ships to American citizens
Washington — The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem is working on dispatching evacuation flights and cruise ships for American citizens who wish to leave Israel amid the country’s ongoing conflict with Iran, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Michael Huckabee announced Wednesday.
The announcement comes in the sixth day of the Israel-Iran war, which saw fresh exchanges of strikes overnight into Wednesday. The U.S. State Department on Monday raised its travel advisory for Israel to a Level 4 “do not travel,” the highest travel warning possible.
“Urgent notice! American citizens wanting to leave Israel- US Embassy in Israel … is working on evacuation flights & cruise ship departures,” Huckabee wrote on X. “You must enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). You will be alerted w/ updates.”
It’s not yet clear when the flights and cruise ships will be available, but it is the first announcement from the State Department that the federal government will facilitate evacuations for U.S. citizens.
On Wednesday, President Trump signaled the possibility of joining Israel in its strikes on Iran.
“I may do it, I may not do it, nobody knows what I’m going to do,” Mr. Trump told reporters when he was asked about whether the U.S. will get involved in the strikes on Iran’s nuclear and military facilities.
Mr. Trump has called on Iran to surrender completely. But Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said his country won’t surrender and warned the U.S. against military intervention.
