The US is quietly moving diplomats and family members out of several Middle Eastern countries as fears of another regional escalation mount, CNN reported.
Staffing is being reduced at missions including Jordan, Qatar, the UAE and Lebanon, while non-emergency personnel and families have already been ordered out of Saudi Arabia.
An unclassified October 23 US intelligence memo from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio cited alleged Iranian efforts to target US personnel, saying such plots had reached “advanced stages” in the Middle East and beyond.
For US diplomatic staff, the latest departures are an unwelcome repeat of earlier evacuations during the Iran war.
“There’s a very Groundhog Day vibe,” one source in Amman said.
Another described the process as “just as much of a shit show” as during the earlier phase of the conflict.
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