The UK government has withdrawn its staff from Iran as the US advised embassy officials in Israel they can leave while “commercial flights are available”.The British government said on Friday the temporary precautionary measure has been taken due to the ongoing security situation in the Middle East.
At the US embassy in Jerusalem, non-emergency US staff and their families were also told they could leave Israel due to safety risks.”Persons may wish to consider leaving Israel while commercial flights are available,” the embassy said.US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told embassy employees in an email that discussions with officials in Washington had led to a decision authorising departures for those who wished to leave.
Mr Huckabee said while there “may be outbound flights over the coming days, there may not be”.
Image:
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. Pic: AP
Britain’s foreign office also provided an update on Friday, with the travel warnings providing one of the strongest indications yet that a regional conflict could be imminent.
“Due to the ongoing security situation, we have taken the precautionary measure to temporarily withdraw UK staff from Iran,” the UK government foreign travel advice website said.”Our embassy continues to operate remotely.”
The UK does not appear to have withdrawn any staff from Israel, but continues to advise against travel to parts of the country over security concerns.The warning comes a day after talks between the US and Iran over its nuclear programme ended without an agreement.Donald Trump set out his case for a possible attack on Iran in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday.The US president said while he preferred a diplomatic solution, he would not allow Tehran to obtain a nuclear weapon.Mr Trump has previously threatened to take military action against Iran if a deal is not reached.The US has spent the last month amassing a fleet of aircraft and warships in the region.This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.Please refresh the page for the fullest version.You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Jattvibe app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
