US embassy warns staff in Israel after ambassador’s emails exposed

The deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Israel warned staff — after the military operation against Iran started — that they could be expelled from the country after a series of Ambassador Mike Huckabee’s internal emails were made public, causing friction among allies in the region, a source familiar with the message told CNN.

The warning, sent to embassy employees by David Brownstein this week, called sharing the ambassador’s emails a violation of “operational security” that is “absolutely unacceptable and will be grounds for removal from post with prejudice and administrative action,” the source said, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the message.

In one leaked memo sent to US diplomats this week, Huckabee joked to embassy staff about procreating while sheltering in place, the source told CNN, confirming details first reported by the Washington Post.

Another leaked message to embassy staff last Friday advised that if they want to leave the country amid the possibility of a strike on Iran they “should do so TODAY.”

Huckabee told embassy staff there was “no reason to panic” and said the decision came out of “an abundance of caution,” a source familiar with the message said at the time.

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli