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The U.S. State Department announced the creation of a Middle East task force for Americans in the region who are facing perilous security situations amid ongoing aerial attacks between Israel and Iran.
“The Department of State has established the Middle East task force to help coordinate support for U.S. citizens, our U.S. diplomatic missions and our diplomatic personnel and diplomatic engagement. The task force is operating 24 hours a day,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Tuesday, before going on to note that the department has issued more than 30 security alerts for Americans in the Middle East in recent days.
“We remind U.S. citizens not to travel to Israel or Iraq, and not to travel to Iran under any circumstances,” she stressed.
Bruce then shared a number Americans abroad could call to access help from the State Department (+1 202-501-4444) and displayed a web page where travelers could identify their closest U.S. embassy.
Yet, the latest security alert issued by the U.S. mission to Israel notes that the embassy there is “not in a position at this time to evacuate or directly assist Americans in departing Israel.”
Bruce declined to give a timeline as to when that might change. She also didn’t share how many Americans had already contacted the embassy about help getting out of Israel (a figure the department has shared in the past) or any plans for evacuations/assisted government departures.
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