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- The US State Department has advised Americans to leave some countries in the Middle East.
- The US embassies in Jerusalem and Qatar have said they are unable to help citizens evacuate.
- Conflict is escalating in the region after the US and Israel struck Iran on Saturday.
American citizens across the Middle East are attempting to follow official advice and evacuate as conflict escalates in the region following US and Israeli attacks on Iran on Saturday.
But multiple US embassies have said they are unable to help citizens trying to leave.
"The U.S. Embassy is not in a position at this time to evacuate or directly assist Americans in departing Israel," the US Embassy in Jerusalem said in a post on X on Tuesday.
The embassy shared that the Israeli Ministry of Tourism was operating shuttles to a border crossing between Egypt and Israel at the town of Taba.
"If you choose to avail yourself of this option to depart, the US government cannot guarantee your safety," said the US embassy, adding that they were sharing the information "as a courtesy to those wishing to leave Israel."
In Qatar, where Iranian retaliatory strikes have hit key energy facilities, the country's US embassy issued a travel advisory on Tuesday, also warning American citizens they were unable to help them evacuate, saying that they should "take advantage of commercial transportation options."
The US embassy in Qatar advised Americans who chose to stay to create a contingency plan, but said that "these alternative plans should not rely on the US government for assisted departure or evacuation."
Iran has launched a barrage of retaliatory missiles against US allies in the region, hitting sites including US military bases, Dubai's Burj Al Arab hotel, and the US embassy in Riyadh.
The list of countries Americans are being urged to depart from immediately is as follows: Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar have closed their airspaces.
As of Tuesday, Dubai International has resumed limited flight services but continues to instruct travelers not to come to the airport unless their flight has been confirmed.
Wealthy travelers and expats in the UAE have turned to private jets and chauffeured drivers to help them flee the region, but many have been caught up in lengthy border crossings amid the rush to Saudi Arabia and Oman, where some flights were still departing.
Monica Marks, a professor at NYU Abu Dhabi, posted on X, wondering how Americans are supposed to leave the Middle East without government help.
Launch a war that jeopardises the safety of over half a million Americans from Jerusalem to Dubai? ✅
Send a histrionic alert after the fact telling them all to “DEPART NOW?” ✅
Pause to ensure that we have the capacity to evacuate our own citizens? ❌❌❌ https://t.co/LU91fwdnfF
