The State Department has ordered some staff in the U.S. Embassy in Beirut to begin to leave Lebanon, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.
A senior State Department official said the move is a temporary measure and applies to non-emergency U.S. government personnel and eligible family members. The embassy is still operational and core staff remain in place, the official said.
“We continuously assess the security environment, and based on our latest review, we determined it prudent to reduce our footprint to essential personnel,” said the official.
The order affects about 50 embassy staff, a regional official said.
The move comes amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran, with the buildup of U.S. military assets in the region.
The Iranian proxy group Hezbollah is a militia and political party in Lebanon.
President Trump said last week that he was weighing conducting a limited strike on Iran if the government did not agree to a deal. Indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran are due to start in Switzerland on Thursday.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to travel to Israel in the coming days, according to a State Department official, who added that Rubio’s schedule “remains subject to change.” Multiple sources familiar with the matter said Rubio has rescheduled the date of his visit to early next week.
On Monday, a spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry rejected the notion of negotiations continuing after any sort of military action, limited or otherwise.
“Does it make sense that they strike against us and we keep negotiating with them?” Esmail Baghaei said.
[/gpt3]
