WASHINGTON — A US State Department official told The Times of Israel on Tuesday that it was in direct contact with nearly 500 American citizens to help evacuate them out of Israel.

“Hundreds of American citizens have left Israel since the start of the conflict. Over the last few days, the State Department has assisted over 130 American citizens depart Israel, with an additional 100 American citizens expected to depart today,” the official said in a statement.

American citizens needing assistance should call +1-202-501-4444 and register in the State Department Smart Traveler Enrollment Program for updates, the department said.

On Monday, the US called on Americans to immediately leave over a dozen countries in the region, urging them to use commercial means to do, even though much of the airspace has been closed.

In addition, US Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson said the US was “actively securing military aircraft and charter flights for American citizens who wish to leave the Middle East.”

“We’ve been in direct contact with nearly 3,000 Americans abroad,” he said.

Yes, the State Department is actively securing military aircraft and charter flights for American citizens who wish to leave the Middle East. We've been in direct contact with nearly 3,000 Americans abroad. American citizens should call 1-202-501-4444 for assistance with… https://t.co/Fj9qcvljoC Advertisement if(typeof rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner != "function" || !rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner("#336x280_Middle_1")){ window.tude = window.tude || { cmd: [] }; tude.cmd.push(function() { if(navigator.userAgent.indexOf("rgbmedia-app") > -1){ tude.setDeviceType("mobile"); } tude.refreshAdsViaDivMappings([ { divId: '336x280_Middle_1', baseDivId: '336x280_Middle_1', } ]); }); } — Dylan Johnson (@ASDylanJohnson) March 3, 2026

Yes, the State Department is actively securing military aircraft and charter flights for American citizens who wish to leave the Middle East.

We've been in direct contact with nearly 3,000 Americans abroad. American citizens should call 1-202-501-4444 for assistance with… https://t.co/Fj9qcvljoC

— Dylan Johnson (@ASDylanJohnson) March 3, 2026

The evacuation efforts came as US lawmakers slammed the State Department for urging US citizens in the Middle East to leave three days after the US-Israeli war against Iran started and when air travel is severely disrupted, saying it was a sign of lack of proper planning.

The air war, which began on Saturday, has already sent shockwaves around the world, disrupting energy supplies and sending global air transport into chaos. Major Gulf aviation hubs, including the world’s busiest international airport, Dubai – which normally handles over 1,000 flights a day – remained closed for a fourth day on Tuesday, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded. Ticket prices have soared.

“Warnings to citizens to evacuate 3 days into this war, when airspace is closed, is a clear sign of ZERO strategy and planning by the Trump admin,” Democratic Senator Andy Kim said in a post on X.

“Now Americans have limited options to evacuate at an extremely dangerous moment with no government assistance. This administration is failing its citizens,” Kim added.

On Monday, a US official said the State Department activated an inter-agency task force to manage the situation and had launched a dedicated WhatsApp channel, which it said has amassed 15,000 followers. It did not mention any government assistance for evacuation of citizens.

“So the State Department is forcing everyone to immediately leave the region but is also refusing to help people leave the region,” Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said in an X post. “Incompetence everywhere,” he added.

Congressman Ted Lieu from California urged the administration to schedule US government evacuation flights for the stranded Americans.

It is not immediately clear how many American and dual citizens are based in the region. The State Department urges its nationals to sign up with its database when they are abroad.

On Tuesday, the State Department also announced that it had ordered the departure of non-emergency US government personnel and their family members from US embassies in Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Jordan. Similar measures have already been taken for US missions in Lebanon and Israel.

Are you relying on The Times of Israel for accurate and timely coverage of the Iran war right now? If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6/month, you will:

Support our independent journalists who are working around the clock under difficult conditions to cover this conflict;

Read ToI with a clear, ads-free experience on our site, apps and emails; and

Gain access to exclusive content shared only with the ToI Community, including weekly letters from founding editor David Horovitz.

We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.

You clearly find our careful reporting of the Iran war valuable, at a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.

Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically during this ongoing conflict.

So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you'll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.

Thank you,David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel

1 PM: Iran’s nuke program would have been ‘immune in months’; Witkoff: They bragged to us about enrichment

2 IDF hits Iran’s ‘leadership complex’ in Tehran; 12 Israelis hurt in Iran missile strikes

3 Rubio cites planned Israeli attack as a key reason US launched strikes against Iran

4 ‘Depart now’: US tells its citizens to urgently leave almost all Mideast countries, including Israel

5 Report: Israel hacked Tehran traffic cameras to track Khamenei ahead of assassination

6 IDF sends troops further into south Lebanon and strikes Beirut amid Hezbollah attacks

7 Iran claims Hormuz Strait is closed, threatens to set shipping there ‘ablaze’

8 Trump says he may have forced Israel’s hand into war with Iranian ‘lunatics’

2026 US-Israel war with Iran

© The Times of Israel