Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 18, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleThe US is arranging evacuations for citizens in Israel due to escalating tensions with Iran. Citizens should enroll in the Smart Traveler program for updates.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States is working to evacuate U.S. citizens wishing to leave Israel by arranging flights and cruise ship departures, U.S. ambassador Mike Huckabee said in a post on X on Wednesday, as fears mount of further military escalation between Iran and Israel.
The U.S. embassy in Jerusalem was working on the evacuation arrangements, Huckabee said, urging Americans in the country to sign up for updates through the State Department's Smart Traveler program.
"Urgent notice! American citizens wanting to leave Israel- US Embassy in Israel @usembassyjlm is working on evacuation flights & cruise ship departures. You must enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)," Huckabee wrote.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was unclear how many Americans were seeking to depart Israel or whether the U.S. military would assist with the evacuation flights.
U.S. President Donald Trump has veered from proposing a swift diplomatic end to the five-day-old war between Iran and Israel to suggesting the United States might join it.
Since Friday, Iran has fired around 400 missiles at Israel, of which 40 have pierced air defences, killing 24 people, all of them civilians, according to Israeli authorities.
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Humeyra Pamuk and Ryan Patrick Jones in Washington; Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
The United States is working to evacuate U.S. citizens wishing to leave Israel by arranging flights and cruise ship departures.
U.S. ambassador Mike Huckabee urged Americans in the country to sign up for updates through the State Department's Smart Traveler program.
Since Friday, Iran has fired around 400 missiles at Israel, with 40 penetrating air defenses and resulting in 24 civilian deaths, according to Israeli authorities.
It was unclear whether the U.S. military would assist with the evacuation, as the State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
President Trump has shifted from proposing a swift diplomatic end to the conflict between Iran and Israel to suggesting that the United States might join the conflict.
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