US evacuates staff from Beirut embassy amid rising tensions over Iran

The US Department of State is pulling out non-essential government personnel and their eligible family members from the US embassy in Beirut amid growing concerns about the risk of a military conflict with Iran, Reuters writes, referring to a senior State Department official.

“We continuously assess the security environment, and based on our latest review, we determined it prudent to reduce our footprint to essential personnel,” said a senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“The Embassy remains operational with core staff in place. This is a temporary measure intended to ensure the safety of our personnel while maintaining our ability to operate and assist US citizens,” the official said.

A source at the U.S. embassy said 50 people had been evacuated, while an official at Beirut airport said 32 embassy staff, along with family members, had flown out of Beirut airport on Monday.

US President Donald Trump warned on Monday that it will be a “very bad day” for Iran if no deal is reached to solve a longstanding dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program. Iran, in turn, has threatened to strike American bases in the region if it is attacked.