State Department working on evacuation flights for Americans in Jerusalem, US ambassador to Israel says
From CNN’s Kylie Atwood and Jennifer Hansler
The US is working to arrange evacuation flights and cruise ship departures for Americans who want to leave Israel, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said.
“Urgent notice! American citizens wanting to leave Israel- US Embassy in Israel
@usembassyjlm is working on evacuation flights & cruise ship departures,” Huckabee
wrote on his personal X account, which was later reposted on official accounts.
The revelation that these efforts are underway comes as the US embassy in Jerusalem is closed until at least Friday.
Huckabee added that the Americans must enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) so that they can be alerted with updates. He did not say when these evacuation efforts would begin.
The State Department did not immediately respond when asked when the evacuations would begin.
Yesterday: US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that she would not discuss any plans to support the evacuation of Americans in the region.
“Our commitment is to the safety and security of Americans around the world,” Bruce said, without providing any specifics.
Bruce did announce that the department had set up an around-the-clock task force to deal with the ongoing conflict, including providing support to Americans.
