WASHINGTON - The U.S. State Department has directed non-essential government employees and their eligible family members to leave the U.S. embassy in Beirut, a senior State Department official said on Monday, as officials assess an increased risk of military hostilities involving Iran.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the senior official said the department conducts continuous security reviews and, following its latest assessment, determined it was prudent to reduce the embassy's on-site personnel to those needed to maintain core functions.
"We continuously assess the security environment, and based on our latest review, we determined it prudent to reduce our footprint to essential personnel," the official said. "The Embassy remains operational with core staff in place. This is a temporary measure intended to ensure the safety of our personnel while maintaining our ability to operate and assist U.S. citizens."
Accounts of how many people departed varied. A source at the U.S. embassy said 50 people had been evacuated, while a Beirut airport official put the number at 32 embassy staff and family members who flew out on Monday.
Security and military posture
The personnel withdrawals come as the United States has assembled one of its largest military deployments in the Middle East. President Donald Trump warned on Thursday that "really bad things will happen" if no agreement is reached to resolve the dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program. Iran has responded to escalating tensions by saying it would strike U.S. bases in the region if it is attacked.
An internal State Department cable seen by officials instructed that "Should employees occupying emergency positions wish to depart post, please review alternative arrangements to fill the emergency position and consult with your regional bureau Executive Office as necessary." The cable framed the movement as a precaution aimed at safety while preserving the embassy's ability to function.
The decision to scale back diplomatic staffing in Beirut evokes a history of threats to U.S. interests in Lebanon. During the 1975-90 civil war, U.S. facilities were repeatedly targeted, with Washington holding the Iran-backed Hezbollah responsible for deadly attacks in 1983: a suicide bombing at the U.S. Marines headquarters in Beirut that killed 241 servicemen and a separate suicide attack on the U.S. embassy that killed 49 embassy staff.
Diplomatic engagements continue amid divisions
Despite the diplomatic downsizing in Beirut, high-level meetings and negotiations are ongoing. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was still planning to travel to Israel on Saturday to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, though officials cautioned that "the schedule remains subject to change." The United States continues to press for Iran to abandon its nuclear program; Iran denies it is seeking an atomic weapon and rejects the characterization of its nuclear activities as a weapons effort.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday he expects to meet with President Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Geneva on Thursday and suggested there remains "a good chance" of reaching a diplomatic resolution. Nevertheless, both sides remain sharply divided - even over the scope and sequencing of relief from crippling U.S. sanctions - after two rounds of talks, a senior Iranian official said.
Officials on both sides and diplomats across the Gulf and Europe have warned that Tehran and Washington are sliding rapidly toward military conflict as hopes for a diplomatic settlement wane. Against that backdrop, Witkoff on Sunday said the president was curious why Iran had not yet "capitulated" and agreed to curb its nuclear programme.
Recent military action has already marked the region: it would be the second time in less than a year that the U.S. and Israel have struck Iranian targets, following U.S. and Israeli airstrikes against military and nuclear facilities last June.
What officials say and what remains uncertain
U.S. authorities emphasize that the embassy in Beirut remains open with essential staff, and that the withdrawal of some personnel is a temporary safety measure. Questions remain about how diplomatic negotiations will proceed in Geneva, how divisions over sanctions relief will be resolved, and whether the military deployments will deter or escalate tensions.
For now, the State Department's action is aimed at preserving the safety of personnel while keeping channels open to assist U.S. citizens and to continue diplomatic engagement.