US closes embassy in Lebanon
The US has closed its embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, “until further notice,” just hours after Israel said it began striking the city to target the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah.
The Beirut location marks the third US Embassy to shut its doors as the war in the Middle East spirals. The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia closed today after the facility was struck by two suspected Iranian drones, and the embassy in Kuwait announced it will close indefinitely, News.Az reports, citing CNN.
The Beirut embassy said on social media that all regular and emergency consular appointments have been canceled. US citizens who need assistance can call +1-888-407-4747 from the US and Canada, and +1-202-501-4444 from overseas.
The US State Department has also reduced its footprint in several other countries. It ordered the mandatory departure of non-emergency personnel and their families in Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates. The department has also urged Americans to immediately leave the Middle East due to “serious safety risks.”
Non-emergency personnel in the Beirut US Embassy were ordered to leave before the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran.
By Faig Mahmudov
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