US advises embassy staff in Israel to leave now if they want, as risk of war hangs over Middle East

The U.S. Embassy in Israel has told its staff that it can leave the country and urged anyone considering departure to do so immediately as the threat of an American strike on Iran looms. U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee told embassy staff in an email Friday morning that discussions with U.S. State Department officials had led to a decision authorizing voluntary departures for those who wished to leave. The email was recounted to The Associated Press by someone involved with the U.S. mission. The departure authorizations signal a new level of contingency planning as American aircraft and warships mass in the Middle East.