The State Department said Thursday that it is ramping up efforts to help U.S. citizens leave the Middle East via commercial and charter flights.
“The department is facilitating charter flights and will continue to secure additional capacity as security conditions allow,” officials said. “Where commercial aviation options remain available, the department is actively helping American citizens book those tickets. For those in countries lacking commercial aviation availability, the department is facilitating travel to third countries as conditions allow.”
The department also said it is looking at ground transportation options to get U.S. citizens out of Israel.
Lawmakers and some travelers stuck abroad have criticized the Trump administration for not doing enough to help Americans living, working, or vacationing in the Middle East since the start of joint U.S.-Israeli air strikes on Iran on Saturday. Iran, Israel, and many surrounding countries have closed their airspace to civilian flights, and thousands of connections are being canceled each day.
Americans in cities such as Amman, Kuwait City, and Dubai have told news outlets that they are receiving contradictory or inactionable information from U.S. embassies – specifically, to leave immediately, even though most airlines have canceled their schedules.
In some instances, U.S. embassies in the Middle East have been overwhelmed by phone calls, and in some countries U.S. embassies and consulates are closed entirely due to the risk of drone attacks from Iran.
President Donald Trump said this week that military operations unfolded too quickly to evacuate American citizens in a more organized way.
The Pentagon has said it will use C-17 transport aircraft to fly Americans out of the region.
On its website, the State Department now has a special assistance request portal for passport holders looking to leave Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
