By: Fern Sidman

As the geopolitical landscape in the Middle East grows increasingly volatile, the United States has begun organizing voluntary evacuations of American citizens from Israel amid the intensifying conflict with Iran. On Saturday, just hours before U.S. airstrikes targeted Iranian nuclear facilities, the State Department facilitated two evacuation flights out of Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport, transporting approximately 70 U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and their immediate family members to safety in Athens, Greece.

According to a report on Sunday from the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), the operation—dubbed “Operation Exodus” by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee—marks a significant escalation in Washington’s emergency response to the ongoing conflict. These flights are part of a broader, yet still informal, effort to assist American citizens trapped in a theater of war that has now expanded well beyond Israel’s borders.

Though the State Department emphasized the voluntary nature of the evacuations, the sharp rise in demand for assistance suggests a growing urgency among Americans on the ground. As JNS reported, over 6,400 individuals completed an online crisis intake form on Friday alone, seeking up-to-date information and evacuation options.

Ambassador Huckabee has been actively encouraging Americans to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to ensure the State Department can communicate directly with individuals in harm’s way. In a public statement shared via JNS, Huckabee urged those seeking assistance to complete the official intake form and avoid submitting duplicate entries.

“If you are a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident currently in Israel or the West Bank and seeking U.S. government assistance to depart, please complete this form so the Department of State can better assist you,” Huckabee said.

The evacuations extend beyond central Israel. Notably, the JNS report emphasized that the effort includes U.S. citizens located in Judea and Samaria, areas that have seen heightened volatility in recent weeks due to flare-ups in both Palestinian unrest and Iranian-backed provocations.

Despite the successful flights, the State Department’s messaging has raised questions. As JNS previously noted, conflicting statements throughout the week from Washington and the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem created confusion among American citizens seeking clarity on the availability of evacuation assistance.

On Wednesday, Huckabee indicated that preparations were underway for both flight-based and maritime evacuations, including cruise ship departures. Yet, the State Department issued a seemingly contradictory statement the same day, asserting there was “no announcement about assisting private U.S. citizens to depart at this time.”

This misalignment appears to have contributed to the influx of inquiries received on Friday, with The Associated Press citing an internal State Department memo projecting that between 300 and 500 people per day may require U.S. assistance in the coming days.

In addition to Saturday’s flights, the JNS report confirmed that a separate military-organized evacuation on Friday transported 79 Embassy staff and their families from Jerusalem to Sofia, Bulgaria. That marked the second such operation within the span of a week, highlighting the elevated threat level for diplomatic personnel.

The State Department currently maintains a Level 4 travel advisory for Israel, urging Americans to avoid travel due to “armed conflict, terrorism, and civil unrest.” With Ben Gurion International Airport still closed, Americans have been advised to seek private means of departure, including overland travel to Jordan or Egypt, where commercial flights remain available.

Some have heeded that advice. Others, according to the JNS report, have turned to private and communal initiatives. Notably, Birthright Israel evacuated 1,500 participants aboard an Israeli cruise ship en route to Cyprus, while private charter flights organized by U.S. states and Jewish organizations have transported hundreds more.

One of the most prominent efforts has come from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who—acting independently of the federal government—has arranged for flights that have returned approximately 1,500 evacuees to the United States, many of them Florida residents.

The timing of the evacuation—just hours before the U.S. launched coordinated airstrikes on Iranian nuclear infrastructure—suggests a high degree of strategic foresight. The JNS report described “Operation Exodus” as not merely an act of humanitarian concern but as a tactical prelude to a broader military engagement. With tensions now at their highest point in years, the operation highlights the State Department’s quiet recognition that the situation could deteriorate further in the immediate term.

As Ambassador Huckabee told JNS, “We are committed to ensuring that every American who wants to leave Israel has a safe, dignified, and swift path to safety. But we must also be clear: the window to do so voluntarily may not remain open indefinitely.”

The scenes unfolding across Israel—and particularly in its embattled border regions—have become a litmus test for U.S. commitments to its citizens and to its closest democratic ally in the region. As JNS editorialized this weekend, the willingness of American officials to act swiftly and decisively in Israel is not only a measure of diplomatic competence but a reaffirmation of Washington’s enduring alliance with Jerusalem.

With the prospect of further Iranian retaliation looming and Israel’s military operations expanding in Gaza and beyond, the U.S. evacuation campaign is only beginning. And for the thousands of Americans still in Israel, the message is clear: prepare now, or risk being left behind.