U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said the U.S. embassy in Israel is not in a position to evacuate or directly assist Americans in departing the country, even as the State Department urges Americans to leave Israel and other countries across the Middle East.
The State Department has told Americans it cannot guarantee their security in Israel or in 14 other countries in the region. Non-essential embassy staff have been ordered to return to the United States.
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The warning comes days after the United States and Israel launched a military attack against Iran that killed several senior leaders, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iran has since responded with attacks of its own, and President Trump has said the conflict could last for weeks.
The U.S. also closed its embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait after both facilities were struck by drones. Two drones hit the U.S. embassy in Saudi Arabia, according to Saudi officials. U.S. officials said the damage was not major. The type of drone used in the strikes — the Shahed drone — is a weapon Iran possesses in large numbers, at a cost of approximately $30,000 each. The small size of the drones makes them difficult to destroy on the ground, and their low cost creates a significant strategic challenge for U.S. air defense systems, whose interceptor missiles can cost more than $1 million each.
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Israel is conducting operations aimed at dismantling Iranian regime infrastructure while simultaneously fighting on a second front to its north. Overnight strikes targeted what the IDF described as the regime's most central and significant headquarters, including the presidential office and the building of the Supreme National Security Council. Along the Lebanese border, one IDF division is now operating inside southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces have seized new areas. A top Hezbollah leader has warned that if Israel wants an open war, then let it be an open war.
