https://removepaywalls.com/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/world/middleeast/us-embassy-jerusalem-authorized-departure.html
With the threat of a U.S. strike on Iran looming, the United States embassy in Jerusalem has told its workers that they may leave Israel and warned them that if they want to, it is vital that they do so immediately.
The directive came from Ambassador Mike Huckabee in an email to embassy workers at the U.S. mission on Friday, a copy of which was reviewed by The New York Times.
Those wishing to leave “should do so TODAY,” Mr. Huckabee continued, urging them to find a flight out of Ben-Gurion Airport to any destination for which they could book passage.
He added that while there might be more outbound flights in the coming days, there also might not be.
Already, KLM, the Dutch airline, has suspended service to Israel, citing “commercial and operational considerations.”
In the email, Mr. Huckabee told embassy employees that the mission had shifted to an “authorized departure” footing as of 10 a.m. Friday. That allows nonessential personnel and their dependents to evacuate at the government’s expense when “U.S. national interests or imminent threat to life requires it,” according to State Department regulations.
The State Department issued a travel advisory on Friday in which it confirmed the shift to authorized departure for the U.S. mission in Israel, and urged other Americans to “reconsider travel” to both Israel and the West Bank, citing “terrorism and civil unrest.”
The State Department has taken precautions already elsewhere in the region. On Monday, the U.S. embassy in Lebanon ordered the departure of all non-emergency personnel and the family members of all government personnel.