The U.S. Department of State has begun emergency assisted departure flights from Israel, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced Saturday. According to the State Department, two evacuation flights departed Tel Aviv for Athens, carrying approximately 70 U.S. citizens, their immediate family members, and lawful permanent residents.
These flights mark the first official U.S.-facilitated evacuations since the outbreak of the Israel-Iran war, which has rapidly intensified over the past week. The evacuations began just hours before President Donald Trump publicly announced U.S. military strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities, significantly raising the stakes in the volatile Middle East crisis.
Confusion and Delays Preceded Official Evacuation Rollout
Ambassador Huckabee’s Saturday announcement followed several days of mixed signals from Washington. On June 18—day six of the conflict—Huckabee stated that the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem was facilitating evacuation options including flights and cruise ships. But later that same day, the State Department publicly contradicted that claim, stating it had “no announcement about assisting private U.S. citizens to depart at this time.”
The back-and-forth led to frustration among Americans in Israel. The following day, a message was sent to those enrolled in the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), indicating that contingency plans were being developed. The embassy urged Americans seeking to leave to fill out a crisis intake form, warning citizens not to submit duplicates to avoid confusion in tracking.
Cruise Ship, Charter Flights, and Private Routes Supplement Official Efforts
In the absence of earlier U.S. government action, many Americans turned to alternative evacuation routes. Birthright Israel, a non-profit coordinating educational trips, evacuated approximately 1,500 American participants aboard the Crown Iris, a luxury Israeli cruise ship, which sailed from Ashdod to Larnaca, Cyprus.
Additionally, charter flights arranged by private organizations and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis successfully brought hundreds of Americans back to the U.S., with several planes landing in Tampa, Florida, on Friday. Others managed to flee through Israel’s border with Jordan, traveling by car to Amman before booking flights to the United States.
OGMNews.COM
U.S Begins Emergency Evacuations from Israel Amid Escalating Iran Conflict
As evacuations continue, the conflict’s human cost is worsening. At least 657 people have died in Iran—including 263 civilians—since hostilities began, according to the Health Rights Activist group based in Washington. Israeli authorities report at least 24 fatalities, with a recent missile strike injuring 23 more in northern Israel.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed Saturday that “several” Americans were “lightly wounded” in an Iranian missile strike, but withheld further details due to privacy concerns. Ben Gurion International Airport remains closed, and major U.S. airlines have paused flights to and from Israel, further complicating evacuation logistics.
US citizens Plead for Help as Advisory Reaches Highest Level
With the situation rapidly deteriorating, the State Department has placed Israel under a Level 4 travel advisory—the highest level—urging all Americans not to travel to Israel, the West Bank, or Gaza due to “armed conflict, terrorism, and civil unrest.” Citizens currently in the region have been advised to register in the STEP program and complete the crisis intake form to receive timely updates.
Some Americans stranded in Israel have voiced frustration over the pace of U.S. response. Warren Cohen, an American businessman caught in Tel Aviv during the missile strikes, made an emotional appeal to CBS News: “Mr. President, please bring me home to my family. I’m your neighbor in Mar-a-Lago, and I really want to go see my wife and kids.”
With the conflict showing no signs of de-escalation, pressure is mounting on U.S. officials to ramp up evacuation efforts and protect its citizens abroad.
