(Bloomberg) — The State Department ordered the evacuation of non-essential personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Beirut on Monday, with tensions in the region high amid expectations that President Donald Trump may soon order large-scale airstrikes against Iran.
An assessment of the security environment in the region led the US government to reduce its presence to essential personnel only, a senior State Department official said on condition of anonymity. The embassy remains operational and the measure is temporary, the official added, without mentioning Iran.
The US military is assembling a wide range of forces in the Middle East, including two aircraft carriers, fighter jets and refueling tankers. Trump said on Friday he was “considering” limited strikes on Iran and said Tehran had little time to reach an agreement on its nuclear program.
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US and Iranian diplomats have been trying to negotiate a nuclear deal in recent weeks, with the next round of talks scheduled for Thursday.
