U.S. says embassy staff in Israel who want to leave should do so immediately

The U.S. Embassy in Israel on Friday told its staff that it could leave the country and urged anyone considering departure to do so immediately, as the threat of an American strike on Iran looms.

U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee told embassy employees in an email that discussions with officials in Washington had led to a decision authorizing departures for those who wished to leave.

The email was recounted to The Associated Press by someone involved with the U.S. mission who wasn’t authorized to share details. Sent before 10:30 a.m. local time, it urged staff considering departure to do so quickly, advising them to to focus initially on getting any flight out of Israel and to then make their way to Washington.

“Those wishing to take [authorized departure] should do so TODAY,” Huckabee wrote.

“While there may be outbound flights over the coming days, there may not be,” he added.

Huckabee said there was no need for panic, but for those desiring to leave, it was important to make plans soon.

WATCH | Threat of U.S. military attack on Iran looms after talks end Thursday with no deal:

U.S.-Iran talks end with no deal as military action looms

A third round of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks in Geneva have ended without a deal, leaving the risk of military action looming. Trump says he prefers an agreement with Tehran over war, but details of the president’s demands remain unclear.

The email came a day after Iran and the United States walked away from nuclear negotiations without a deal. Airlines such as Netherlands-based KLM have already announced plans to suspend flights out of Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport, and other embassies have also made plans for authorized departures from Israel and neighbouring countries.

Australia on Wednesday “directed the departure of all dependents of Australian officials posted to Israel in response to the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East.” India and several European countries with missions in Iran advised citizens to avoid travel to the country as well.

At a town hall meeting on Friday after the email was sent, Huckabee told staff that he was encouraging airlines to keep flying.

The departure authorizations signal a new level of contingency planning as a massive fleet of U.S. aircraft and warships mass in the Middle East.

Badr al-Busaidi, Oman’s foreign minister who is mediating in the negotiations, said that there had been significant progress made on Thursday, though officials from Iran and the United States haven’t announced steps forward.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday offered no specifics, but said “what needs to happen has been clearly spelled out from our side.”