The United States government began to withdraw non-essential employees and family members from the American embassy in Beirut, capital of Lebanon, this Monday (23), amid increased tensions with Iran and the risk of a possible military conflict. The information was confirmed earlier by a senior State Department official to the agency Reuters.
The State Department says the measure is temporary and aims to reduce diplomatic presence at the embassy to “essential personnel.”
“We continually evaluate the security environment and, based on our most recent review, we have determined that it is prudent to reduce our presence (at the embassy in Beirut) to essential personnel,” a senior U.S. official said on condition of anonymity, according to the Reuters. He added that the diplomatic mission in the Lebanese capital “remains operational with main staff on site” and that the decision seeks to guarantee the safety of employees, without interrupting assistance to American citizens who are in that country. About 50 people have already been evacuated from the embassy in Lebanon, a State Department source told Reuters.
The withdrawal comes as Washington expands its military presence in the Middle East to pressure the Iranian regime to reach an agreement on its nuclear program. The US has already mobilized one of the largest naval contingents in recent years to the region, with aircraft carriers, destroyers positioned in the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, in addition to sending dozens of combat aircraft to reinforce the American response capacity.
Last week, Trump stated that “really bad things will happen” if there is no agreement with Iran to end or limit its nuclear program as much as possible. In response, Iranian officials warned that if the country is targeted by American attacks, they could retaliate against US bases in the Middle East.
The tense scenario coincides with the holding of a new round of nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran, scheduled to take place this Thursday (26), in Geneva.
