US Evacuates Beirut Embassy: “Volatile Situation”

The Associated Press reports:

The State Department has doubled the number of emergency evacuation flights it is providing for American citizens wishing to leave Israel, ordered the departure of nonessential staff from the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon and is stepping up travel warnings around the Middle East amid concerns Iran will retaliate against U.S. interests in the region. In internal and public notices, the department over the weekend significantly ramped up its cautionary advice to Americans in the Mideast.

In a notice on Sunday, after American strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities , the department said it had ordered nonessential personnel and the families of staff at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut to leave Lebanon “due to the volatile and unpredictable security situation in the region.” The notice made no mention of any potential evacuation flights or other assistance for private Americans wanting to leave Lebanon but said those who want to should try to use existing commercial services to depart.

Read the full article. The State Department is also warning Americans in Saudi Arabia and Turkey to “maintain a low profile.”

On June 22, 2025, the U.S. Department of State ordered the departure of family members and non-emergency U.S. government personnel from Lebanon due to the volatile and unpredictable security situation in the region.

Due to ongoing regional events, we remind U.S. citizens to… pic.twitter.com/FUZeOY9oCZ

— U.S. Embassy Beirut (@usembassybeirut) June 22, 2025