The US is arranging evacuation flights and cruise ship departures for Americans wanting to leave Israel, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee announced Wednesday.

“Urgent notice! American citizens wanting to leave Israel- US Embassy in Israel @usembassyjlm is working on evacuation flights & cruise ship departures,” Huckabee wrote on his personal X account, which was later reposted on official accounts.

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Just yesterday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce declined to discuss any evacuation plans when asked directly about supporting Americans in the region.

“Our commitment is to the safety and security of Americans around the world,” Bruce said Tuesday, without providing specifics. She did announce that the department had set up an around-the-clock task force to deal with the ongoing conflict.

The US embassy in Jerusalem remains closed until at least Friday. Embassy staff and their families have been ordered to shelter in place until further notice.

Huckabee also said Americans must enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program so they can receive updates on evacuation efforts. He did not specify when the evacuations would begin. The State Department did not immediately respond when asked about timing.

Meanwhile, Ben Gurion Airport remains closed with no commercial or charter flights operating. Land crossings to Jordan are currently open, though they close on Saturdays. The Taba crossing to Egypt is also operating around the clock. But Israel’s National Security Council warned Israelis not to try to reach Israel by land through Jordan or Egypt’s Sinai peninsula, citing a high risk of danger. Both countries are under Level 4 warnings, which means “travel to this destination is prohibited. Those who are already there must leave immediately,” according to the department’s website.

Israel has also launched its own repatriation effort for more than 100,000 Israelis stuck overseas since Israeli airspace closed Friday. The first rescue flight from “Operation Safe Return” landed at Tel Aviv Airport early Wednesday morning from Cyprus.

“We are readying rescue flights to bring Israelis back home,” Transportation Minister Miri Regev said. “We will be doing this in a very organized manner in coordination with the Defense Ministry.”

Within two hours of El Al opening online registration for repatriation flights, more than 60,000 stranded passengers signed up. El Al has scheduled repatriation flights from Athens, Rome, Milan, Paris, Budapest and London.

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