A quiet tension descended over the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem early Friday morning as non-essential personnel received an urgent directive: prepare to leave Israel. The order, issued with little fanfare, signaled a significant escalation of concern regarding potential regional conflict, specifically relating to possible strikes on Iran.
The decision wasn’t made lightly. Throughout the night, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee engaged in a flurry of meetings and phone calls, weighing the risks and ultimately concluding that a precautionary withdrawal was necessary. An internal email, reviewed by embassy staff, detailed the gravity of the situation.
Huckabee’s message, while urging calm, stressed the immediacy of the need to depart. He advised those wishing to leave to do so “TODAY,” anticipating a surge in demand for flights out of Ben Gurion Airport. The priority, he emphasized, was simply getting out of the country, even if it meant multiple legs of travel.
The ambassador acknowledged the potential for panic, but countered it with a pragmatic call to action: “make plans to depart sooner rather than later.” He directed personnel to secure any available seat, focusing first on escaping the region and then arranging onward travel to Washington D.C.
This move comes against a backdrop of heightened regional instability and a State Department advisory already urging U.S. citizens to reconsider travel to Israel and the West Bank. The advisory specifically cites ongoing threats of terrorism and civil unrest as primary concerns.
Travel to Gaza is strongly discouraged due to active armed conflict, while northern Israel, within 2.5 miles of the Lebanese and Syrian borders, is deemed particularly risky due to continued military activity. A 1.5-mile buffer zone along the Egyptian border, excluding the Taba crossing, is also advised against.
The embassy’s warning paints a stark picture of the threat landscape, highlighting the constant potential for attacks by terrorist groups and lone actors. These attacks, it warns, can occur with little to no warning, targeting locations frequented by both locals and tourists.
While the embassy refrained from directly naming Iran as the source of the threat, it acknowledged “increased regional tensions” that could disrupt air travel. Airlines may cancel or reduce flights into and out of Israel, further complicating evacuation efforts and underscoring the volatile nature of the situation.
The security environment, the embassy stressed, is “complex and can change quickly.” This rapid fluidity demands constant vigilance and preparedness, as violence can erupt unexpectedly across Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.
