by Ben Whedon
The State Department on Friday denied reports that it had authorized the evacuation of non-essential personnel from the Iraq and Kuwait embassies as the prospect of war with Iran intensifies.
Reacting to a report from i24NEWS English, State Department Deputy Spokesman Tommy Pigott merely said “this is not true.”
Iraq immediately borders Iran and is host to a number of pro-Iranian militia groups that have clashed with U.S. forces in the country. The pro-Iranian organizations within the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) enjoy legal recognition from the Iraqi government.
Though U.S. forces have moved to withdraw from Iraq, after reentering the country at Baghdad’s request to fight the Islamic State. American forces are currently in the process of leaving Syria and were set to leave the northern Kurdistan region of Iraq this year.
Earlier this month, Iraq confirmed that U.S. forces had left all federal territory, which includes most of the country, CNN reported.
On Friday, the United States told “non-emergency U.S. government personnel and family members of U.S. government personnel to leave Israel.”
“In response to security incidents and without advance notice, the U.S. Embassy may further restrict or prohibit U.S. government employees and their family members from traveling to certain areas of Israel, the Old City of Jerusalem, and the West Bank. Persons may wish to consider leaving Israel while commercial flights are available,” the State Department said.
“Terrorist groups, lone-actor terrorists and other violent extremists continue plotting possible attacks in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. Terrorists and violent extremists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, and local government facilities. The security environment is complex and can change quickly, and violence can occur in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza without warning. Increased regional tensions can cause airlines to cancel and/or curtail flights into and out of Israel,” it added.
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Ben Whedon is a reporter for Just the News. Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
