State Department: helped 130 US citizens leave Israel; 100 more expected Tuesday

State Department: helped 130 US citizens leave Israel; 100 more expected Tuesday

U.S. State Department Urges Evacuation of Americans from Middle East Amid Escalating Conflict

The U.S. Department of State has intensified efforts to evacuate American citizens from Israel and other volatile regions in the Middle East amid escalating hostilities between the U.S., Israel, and Iran. On March 2, 2026, the State Department issued an urgent advisory urging U.S. citizens to depart 16 countries, including Israel, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, due to "serious safety risks" following a week of retaliatory strikes between the U.S.-Israel alliance and Iran according to a CBS News report.

While the department has not organized direct evacuation flights, it emphasized that Americans should use "available commercial transportation" to leave the region as Yahoo News reported. However, air travel remains severely disrupted, with major Gulf aviation hubs, including Dubai International Airport, closed for multiple days, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded Reuters reported.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee acknowledged the challenges, stating the embassy is "not in a position to evacuate or directly assist" Americans in Israel but noted limited options, such as Israeli Ministry of Tourism-operated shuttles to the Egypt border CBS News reported.

Congress has criticized the State Department's response, with Congressman Ted Lieu accusing officials of failing to plan for evacuation needs. "You told Americans to depart now via commercial means when you know many airports/airspace are closed," he wrote on X, urging the government to schedule evacuation flights according to Reuters.

The conflict has already triggered a spike in global energy prices, with crude oil benchmarks rising 7% as Iranian threats to target ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz heightened supply concerns Yahoo News reported. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Energy Secretary Chris Wright are expected to announce measures to mitigate the economic impact on Tuesday SRN News reported.

As of March 3, the State Department confirmed it had activated an inter-agency emergency task force to coordinate the response but provided no timeline for restoring normal operations in the region according to Yahoo News. With the war entering its second week, the financial and humanitarian toll continues to mount.