US orders departure of family members and non-emergency US personnel from Lebanon

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — Smoke rises during sunset over Dahiyeh in Beirut's southern suburbs after Israeli air strikes, amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Sin El Fil, Lebanon, October 10, 2024. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

By Maya Gebeily and Kanishka Singh

BEIRUT/ WASHINGTON  -  The U.S. State Department ordered the departure of family members and non-emergency U.S. government personnel from Lebanon citing the volatile security situation in the region, a State Department notice emailed to U.S. citizens in Lebanon showed on Sunday.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

The world awaited Iran's response on Sunday after President Donald Trump said the U.S. had "obliterated" Tehran's most sensitive nuclear sites, joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution.

The U.S. had last year ordered the departure of family members and non-essential staff during Israel's war in Lebanon that had dealt severe blows to Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, but that order was later lifted.

KEY QUOTE

"On June 22, 2025, the U.S. Department of State ordered the departure of family members and non-emergency U.S. government personnel from Lebanon due to the volatile and unpredictable security situation in the region," the State Department said in its notice.

CONTEXT

The Israel-Iran war, which began on June 13 with Israeli attacks on Iran, has raised further alarms in a region that was already on edge since the start of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023.

The U.S. State Department has a "Level 4: Do Not Travel" advisory for Lebanon.

(Reporting by Maya Gebeily and Kanishka Singh; Editing by Hugh Lawson // REUTERS)