US evacuates staff from Lebanon embassy amid tensions with Iran
by Andrew Roth Global affairs correspondent from World news | The Guardian on (#73S60)
US state department official says it's prudent' to reduce their footprint to essential personnel
Washington has evacuated dozens of non-essential personnel from its embassy in Lebanon as US ships and warplanes have been positioned in the region for a potential strike against Iran in the coming days.
The diplomatic drawdown followed reports that dozens of US personnel had been evacuated through Lebanon's Beirut-Rafic Hariri international airport to protect them from a possible Iranian counterattack if tensions between the US and Iran escalate into war. Roughly 30-50 US embassy personnel have left the country, estimates suggest.
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