U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee sent a chilling early-morning email to staff in America’s Israeli embassy on Friday, telling those who want to flee Israel before a potential war with Iran to do so immediately.
Huckabee warned that commercial flights may soon be unavailable after a potential American military strike on Iran.
The email shifted the Jerusalem embassy to an “authorized departure” footing — a formal State Department designation that allows non-emergency personnel and their families to evacuate at government expense when U.S. national interests or an imminent threat to life requires it.
“There is no need to panic, but for those desiring to leave, it’s important to make plans to depart sooner rather than later,” Huckabee wrote.
The ambassador told staff the move followed overnight meetings and phone calls with the State Department, taken out of “an abundance of caution” with safety as the priority.
“Focus on getting a seat to anyplace from which you can then continue travel to DC, but the first priority will be getting expeditiously out of country,” he wrote, and warned the departure authorization “will likely result in high demand for airline seats today.”
The State Department has separately warned American civilians to reconsider travel to Israel and the West Bank, citing terrorism and civil unrest.
The authorization came one day after a sixth round of nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran in Geneva ended Thursday without a deal. President Donald Trump has overseen the largest American military buildup in the Middle East in decades, and has made clear he will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.
At Tuesday’s State of the Union address, Trump said while he would prefer a diplomatic solution, “one thing is certain: I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon.”
Iran has threatened to treat Israel as a valid target for retaliation in the event of a U.S. strike. The two countries fought a 12-day war last year after Israeli forces targeted Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
The United States is not alone in sounding the alarm.
China advised its citizens to avoid traveling to Iran and urged those already in the country to evacuate as soon as possible. Australia has directed the diplomatic personnel in Israel and Lebanon to have their dependents leave both countries. Canada issued an urgent warning Friday also telling its citizens to depart Iran. The United Kingdom temporarily withdrew its own staff from Iran as well.