The department said in an updated travel alert for U.S. citizens in Lebanon that it “ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and family members of government personnel due to the security situation in Beirut.”
The alert, which was formally released several hours after word began to circulate about the move, said U.S. personnel remaining in Lebanon would have their in-country travel restricted.
A department official said earlier that a continuous assessment of the regional security environment determined it was “prudent” to draw down the U.S. Embassy Beirut's footprint so that only essential personnel remain at their posts.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity before the move was formally announced, said that it is a temporary measure and that the embassy will remain operational.
Lebanon has been the site of numerous Iran-related retaliatory attacks against U.S. facilities, interests and personnel for decades given Tehran's support for and influence with the Hezbollah militant group, which is held responsible for the deadly bombings of the Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983 and an embassy annex in 1984.
As such, changes in the staffing status of the embassy in Beirut have often been seen as a bellwether for potential U.S. or Israeli military action in the region, particularly against Iran.
