State Department sets up task force to help Americans trying to leave Middle East

A row of evacuated aircrafts belonging to Israeli airlines El Al sit parked along the apron of Cyprus' main airport in Larnaca, June 14, 2025. (AP/Petros Karadjias)
A row of evacuated aircrafts belonging to Israeli airlines El Al sit parked along the apron of Cyprus' main airport in Larnaca, June 14, 2025. (AP/Petros Karadjias)

The State Department has created a special task force to assist Americans seeking to leave Israel and other Mideast countries amid the conflict with Iran, although no government evacuations are currently planned.

The task force run by the Bureau of Consular Affairs is operating 24 hours to provide information to US citizens and lawful permanent residents wanting to return to the United States.

State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce tells reporters that “we continue to monitor the complex and rapidly evolving situation on the ground as we continue to assess and address the needs of US citizens.”

She would not say how many people had sought advice from the task force.

There are some 700,000 Americans, many of them dual US-Israeli citizens, now in Israel and thousands more in other Mideast countries, including Iran.

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