US begins evacuation planning for American citizens in Israel

(NewsNation) — The United States is organizing evacuations of American citizens out of Israel, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced Wednesday, as the threat of potential military action against Israel intensifies.

In a social media post, Huckabee said the embassy is coordinating “evacuation flights and cruise ship departures” for U.S. citizens who are "wanting to leave" the country.

He urged Americans to register through the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to be eligible.

Until now, the U.S. had refrained from arranging evacuations for American citizens while Israel and Iran exchanged escalating attacks.

Just hours before Huckabee’s announcement, the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem had stated it had “no announcement about assisting private U.S. citizens to depart at this time."

This comes after the Department of State updated travel advisories for Israel, the West Bank and Gaza to a “do not travel” status after authorizing the voluntary departure of family members and nonemergency government employees in those areas.

The advisory is due to the “volatile and unpredictable security situation in the region.”

The evacuation planning follows signals from President Donald Trump and the White House that the U.S. is considering military intervention targeting Iranian nuclear facilities buried deep underground.