America Evacuates Staff and Families from Israel

The escalating exchange of attacks between Israel and Iraq has prompted the United States Government to evacuate embassy staff and their families in Israel. In documents obtained by the Associated Press, it was noted that more than 6,400 U.S. citizens in Israel filled out online forms on Friday alone to request information about when and whether the U.S. Government would arrange evacuation flights. Additionally, 3,265 individuals have contacted the emergency number for assistance.

The document estimates that between 300 and 500 people per day will be evacuated if the United States decides to offer flights or ships to extract its citizens. A total of 79 staff members of the U.S. embassy and their families in Israel were evacuated on Friday following the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran.

An internal memo from the Department of Foreign Affairs indicates that the second military flight, which is known to have occurred this week, departed from Tel Aviv to Sofia, Bulgaria, with some or all passengers set to receive a connecting charter flight to Washington.

Currently, it is estimated that there are around 700,000 American citizens in Israel, many of whom hold dual citizenship. However, this number is not definitive as U.S. citizens are not required to inform the embassy of their presence there or when they will leave.

Previously, on Friday, before the memo was distributed, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce informed reporters that more than 25,000 U.S. citizens had requested information about leaving Israel, the West Bank, and Iran. She told reporters that these individuals had been seeking "information and support" and "looking for guidance" to depart.

In Iran, the document states that at least 84 U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, or Green Card holders, have crossed into the neighboring country of Azerbaijan via land routes since the conflict began, and that an additional 774 individuals have been granted entry as of Friday. Nearly 200 U.S. citizens and Green Card holders are currently awaiting permission to travel by land from Iran to the neighboring country of Turkmenistan.

The British government on Friday also withdrew its embassy staff from Iran, following the lead of other European countries as well as Australia and New Zealand amid the conflict with Israel.

"Due to the current security situation, we have taken precautionary measures to temporarily withdraw our British staff from Iran," said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement quoted by AFP.

On the eighth day of the war between Iran and Israel, the British Foreign Office stated that it continues to call for de-escalation between both parties. The statement also added: "We take the protection of our staff and British citizens very seriously, and we have long advised against traveling to Iran."

Previously, on Friday, Australia also closed its embassy in Tehran and ordered officials to leave the country due to a "deteriorating security situation."

The United Kingdom and Australia have joined a number of countries in closing their diplomatic missions in Iran since Israel launched airstrikes a week ago.

Australia has ordered all its officials and their dependents to leave Iran and has suspended its embassy operations in Tehran. Foreign Minister Penny Wong stated this during a press conference in Adelaide.

"This is not a decision taken lightly. It is a decision based on the deteriorating security environment in Iran," he said.

Wong stated that there are approximately 2,000 Australian citizens and family members registered in Iran who wish to leave the country, and another 1,200 in Israel.

Other countries that have suspended embassy operations in Tehran include Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Portugal, and Switzerland. Switzerland has stated that it will temporarily close its diplomatic mission in the Iranian capital but will continue to fulfill its role in representing U.S. interests in Iran.

"Considering the intensity of military operations in Iran and the highly unstable situation on the ground, the Swiss government has temporarily closed its embassy in Tehran," said the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

The latest development saw Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya holding a press conference regarding the evacuation of Japanese citizens from Israel and Iran at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo on June 20, 2025.

The released photo shows personnel from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force boarding a C2 transport aircraft heading to Djibouti in preparation for the evacuation of Japanese citizens from Israel and Iran, at Miho Air Base in Tottori Prefecture, western Japan, on June 21, 2025.