American citizens across the Middle East are attempting to follow official advice and evacuate as conflict escalates in the region following US and Israeli attacks on Iran on Saturday.
But multiple US embassies have said they are unable to help citizens trying to leave.
“The U.S. Embassy is not in a position at this time to evacuate or directly assist Americans in departing Israel,” the US Embassy in Jerusalem said in a post on X on Tuesday.
The embassy shared that the Israeli Ministry of Tourism was operating shuttles to a border crossing between Egypt and Israel at the town of Taba.
“If you choose to avail yourself of this option to depart, the US government cannot guarantee your safety,” said the US embassy, adding that they were sharing the information “as a courtesy to those wishing to leave Israel.”
President Donald Trump was asked in the Oval Office on Tuesday why evacuations hadn’t been planned beforehand, and whether he would charter planes to evacuate Americans from the region.
Trump largely didn’t address the question, other than to note how quickly the conflict broke out.
“It happened all very quickly,” Trump said. “I thought we were going to have a situation where we were going to be attacked.”
In Qatar, where Iranian retaliatory strikes have hit key energy facilities, the country’s US embassy issued a travel advisory on Tuesday, also warning American citizens they were unable to help them evacuate, saying that they should “take advantage of commercial transportation options.”
The US embassy in Qatar advised Americans who chose to stay to create a contingency plan, but said that “these alternative plans should not rely on the US government for assisted departure or evacuation.”
Most US embassies in the region have suspended normal operations as staff shelter in place, and some have shut down entirely due to heightened security risks.
On Tuesday, the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia issued a stark warning to citizens to stay away from its consulate in Dhahran, a coastal city in the east of Saudi Arabia, due to “a threat of imminent missile and UAV attacks” over the city.
“Do not come to the US Consulate,” the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia said.
On Monday, the US embassy in Jordan announced that all its personnel had temporarily departed the Embassy compound “due to a threat.” It did not specify the threat.
Iran has launched a barrage of retaliatory missiles against US allies in the region, hitting sites including US military bases, Dubai’s Burj Al Arab hotel, and the US embassy in Riyadh.
The list of countries Americans are being urged to depart from immediately is as follows: Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar have closed their airspaces.
As of Tuesday, Dubai International has resumed limited flight services but continues to instruct travelers not to come to the airport unless their flight has been confirmed.
Wealthy travelers and expats in the UAE have turned to private jets and chauffeured drivers to help them flee the region, but many have been caught up in lengthy border crossings amid the rush to Saudi Arabia and Oman, where some flights were still departing.
Monica Marks, a professor at NYU Abu Dhabi, posted on X, wondering how Americans are supposed to leave the Middle East without government help.
