IDF says no change in instructions to citizens

US ambassador tells embassy staffers: If you want to leave Israel, ‘do so TODAY’

State Dept says non-emergency staff and families can leave Israel; Omani FM reportedly to meet with Vance in effort to avert war; US aircraft carrier expected off northern coast, refuelers at airport, F-22s seen moving in south

The US State Department on Friday authorized non-emergency personnel and the family members of those stationed in Israel to leave the country due to “safety risks,” with US Ambassador Mike Huckabee reportedly telling embassy staff that if they want to leave Israel, they “should do so TODAY.”

The embassy’s call for non-emergency staff to depart, issued in a security alert, “will likely result in high demand for airline seats today,” Huckabee wrote in an email to staffers in Israel, according to The New York Times. “Focus on getting a seat to anyplace from which you can then continue travel to DC, but the first priority will be getting expeditiously out of country.”

“There is no need to panic,” Huckabee continued, “but for those desiring to leave, it’s important to make plans to depart sooner rather than later.”

The current US Embassy travel advisory, included in its Friday security alert, also advises all Americans to “reconsider travel to Israel due to terrorism and civil unrest.”

The alert and Huckabee’s warning were the latest indication of a possible American strike on Iran, and came as airlines have canceled flights to the region and issued warnings for citizens to evacuate.

Later Friday, Israel Defense Forces Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin issued a statement reiterating that while the IDF was prepared to defend the country should Iran strike,  there were no further changes to the military’s guidelines for the Israeli public.

“I am aware of the sense of uncertainty and the tension prevailing among the public in light of the regional developments,” Defrin said in a video statement. “The IDF is closely monitoring the situation in Iran and is alert and prepared to defend you.”

Defrin said the IDF was “operating in full coordination with our partners, with the aim of strengthening the defense.”

“There is no change in the guidelines. If there is a change, I will be here and we will provide an update accordingly,” Defrin added.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to attack the Islamic Republic unless it agrees to halt its nuclear program. US military forces have continued to amass in the region, with US fighter jets deploying at an Israeli air base and USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, set to arrive off Israel’s northern coast, near the port city of Haifa.

The carrier was spotted on satellite imagery some 160 nautical miles east of the Greek island of Crete on Friday morning.

At least nine American refueling tankers also arrived at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport early Friday, according to footage and analysts monitoring open-source flight tracking data.

The tankers are likely to provide support for US fighter jets aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford.

Also Friday, the Chinese intelligence firm MizarVision published new satellite images showing the deployment of American F-22 stealth fighter jets at the Israeli Air Force’s Ovda Airbase.

On Thursday, the firm published images providing the first visual confirmation of 11 F-22s at the airbase in southern Israel.

The latest images show the F-22s moving around the base, with four positioned on a taxiway.

MizarVision has alleged ties to the Chinese military and has been accused of republishing imagery from other satellite firms with its own overlays.

The deployment of US fighter jets at Israeli airbases for operational activities — rather than for joint training with the IAF — is extremely rare.

Diplomatic efforts

In parallel, diplomatic efforts are ongoing to avert a conflict. The two countries held a third round of talks on Tehran’s nuclear program on Thursday, mediated by Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi. Albusaidi projected optimism about those negotiations, and was due to meet US Vice President JD Vance and other officials in Washington on Friday in an effort to stave off war.

The announcement from the US embassy came as Canada, on Friday, called on any of its citizens in Iran to leave as soon as possible.

“Canadians in Iran: Due to ongoing tensions, hostilities in the region could resume with little or no warning. Leave Iran now if you can do so safely,” the Canadian government said. “Ensure travel documents are up-to-date and keep sufficient supplies in case you need to shelter in place.”

China made the same call, warning its citizens to avoid traveling to Iran and those in the country to evacuate, citing a “significant rise in external security risks.”

“In light of the current security situation in Iran, China’s Foreign Ministry and Chinese embassies and consulates in Iran remind Chinese citizens to avoid traveling to Iran for the time being,” Beijing’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

Beijing later also urged its citizens living in Israel to strengthen their security precautions and emergency preparedness, citing “rising security risks in the Middle East.”

Several other countries have issued similar guidance. Earlier this week, Australia said it was instructing family members of its diplomats posted in Israel and Lebanon to leave, and that its citizens in either country should consider leaving before it is too late.

Poland, Sweden, India and others have also called on their citizens to leave the Islamic Republic.

Airlines are also altering service to the region. Qatar Airways extended its partial flight cancellations to and from Iran until June 30, 2026, though it will continue to operate one flight daily between the two countries starting on Sunday.

Earlier this week, KLM suspended flights between Amsterdam and Tel Aviv. The Lufthansa Group said Thursday that flights to and from Israel may continue to face schedule disruptions, due to security concerns, through March 15. The changes include stopovers in Athens and changed takeoff and landing times, but mostly not cancellations.

Scandinavian Airlines also canceled one flight to Israel, without providing an explanation, but said that a flight to Israel on Sunday was still scheduled as usual.

Alongside the alarm, negotiators expressed optimism about the talks on Thursday in Geneva. But gaps remain between the sides, which reportedly agreed to meet again next week. Albusaidi’s meeting with Vance, reported by MS Now (formerly MSNBC), is meant to further those efforts.

The Islamic Republic has resisted US calls that it halt all uranium enrichment or discuss its ballistic missile arsenal and support for terror proxies. Some reports have suggested, however, that a “token” amount of low enrichment might be viable as the basis for a deal.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that in order to reach a deal, the United States will have to drop its “excessive demands,” according to a Friday report.

In a phone call with Egypt’s top diplomat Badr Abdelatty, Araghchi said, “Success in this path requires seriousness and realism from the other side and avoidance of any miscalculation and excessive demands.”

Iran has consistently denied seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. However, it enriched uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities.

In Iraq, meanwhile, a powerful Iran-backed terror group told its fighters to prepare for the scenario of a long war in neighboring Iran, should the US launch strikes.

Kataeb Hezbollah warned the US on Thursday of “immense losses” were it to start a war in the region, while a commander in an armed faction told AFP his group is “highly likely” to intervene in the case of strikes.

“Amid American threats and military build-up indicating a dangerous escalation in the region, it is necessary [for all fighters] to prepare for a potentially long war of attrition,” the group said in a statement.

The commander told AFP that his group sees Iran as strategic to its own interests, and therefore any attack on the Islamic Republic “directly threatens us.”

Iraqi armed groups under US sanctions did not intervene during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran last year, during which the US struck Iranian nuclear facilities. Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terror group in Lebanon, also didn’t intervene

This time, the commander said they would be “less restrained,” especially in the event of strikes seeking to overthrow the Iranian regime.

Against the backdrop of the threats of conflict, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said on Friday, “We must not revert to violence as an organizing principle.”

“I am extremely alarmed about the potential for regional military escalation and its impact on civilians, and I hope the voice of reason prevails,” Turk told the United Nations Human Rights Council.