The U.S. Embassy in Israel is actively working to evacuate American citizens as the aerial conflict between Iran and Israel rages into its sixth day, a high-stakes showdown that has already reshaped the Middle East’s military landscape.
In a post on X, U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee announced:
“Urgent notice! American citizens wanting to leave Israel—US Embassy in Israel @usembassyjlm is working on evacuation flights & cruise ship departures.”
The embassy urged Americans to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) for real-time updates and evacuation coordination.
The warning came just one day after the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem issued a security alert instructing all U.S. government employees and their families to shelter in place, citing the escalating regional conflict.
The embassy will remain closed through June 20.
Airports and seaports across Israel remain shuttered, but land crossings into Jordan are still open for now.
The State Department’s travel advisory now labels all of Israel a “Level 4 – Do Not Travel” zone, the highest risk level.
Level 4 was previously reserved for the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank amid ongoing conflict with Hamas.
The rapid escalation began late last week after Iran launched a wave of missile strikes targeting Israeli cities.
In a swift and overwhelming response, Israeli warplanes pummeled Iranian nuclear sites, weapons stockpiles, and military leadership targets.
The Israeli Air Force has reportedly killed several Iranian generals and nuclear scientists since June 13.
President Donald Trump and Israeli officials declared air superiority over Iran this week.
Trump is praising Israel’s operation as a “game-changer.”
On Truth Social, he hinted that Israel has the capability, and possibly the will, to strike Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei directly.
The president is calling on Iran to come to the table for nuclear negotiations.
“Israel knows the location of the ayatollah and could strike him,” Trump warned.
He added that it’s “not too late” for Iran to talk.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed that sentiment, signaling that military pressure will continue until the nuclear threat is neutralized.
Israeli officials claim Iran was on the verge of building nuclear weapons, prompting what they describe as preemptive strikes to protect the Jewish state’s existence.
One Israeli official, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, told reporters Israeli pilots can now hit “countless more targets” over Iran, following the destruction of key air defense systems.
But Iran’s regime is defiant.
In a fiery televised address, Khamenei declared that “any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage.”
Iran’s mission to the U.N. responded to Trump’s remarks with typical bluster:
“Iran does NOT negotiate under duress… and certainly NOT with a has-been warmonger clinging to relevance.”
Despite the rhetoric, Trump struck a tone of resolve mixed with caution:
“Good luck,” he said to Khamenei on Wednesday, signaling the door to diplomacy remains open but only on America’s terms.
As the conflict intensifies and American citizens scramble to leave, Washington now finds itself in a dangerous balancing act: protecting U.S. lives abroad while navigating a potential turning point in the Middle East’s decades-long shadow war.
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