A US official said the US government had determined it was “prudent to reduce the presence of essential personnel” in Lebanon.
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Published February 23, 2026
Amid rising tensions in the region, the United States has ordered the departure of non-emergency personnel from its embassy in Beirut and their families, a senior State Department official confirmed.
Monday’s move comes as President Donald Trump threatens to attack Iran on an almost daily basis and the United States continues to accumulate military assets in the Middle East.
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“We are continually assessing the security environment and based on the latest review, we determined it would be prudent to reduce our footprint to critical personnel,” a U.S. official told Al Jazeera.
“The embassy continues to operate with core staff in place. This is a temporary measure designed to ensure the safety of our staff while maintaining our ability to support and operate U.S. citizens.”
Hezbollah, weakened by Israel’s attack on Lebanon in 2024, has not ruled out military intervention in support of Iran if war breaks out.
During the Lebanese civil war in 1983, a car bomb targeted the American embassy in Beirut, killing dozens of people, including 17 Americans.
Later that year, after U.S. forces were deployed to Beirut, a large-scale suicide bombing at a Marine barracks killed 241 U.S. service members.
The U.S. Embassy in Lebanon, one of the world’s largest diplomatic missions, is currently housed in a fortified campus atop the hills of Awkal on the northern outskirts of Beirut.
