U.S. plans to redeploy diplomatic staff to Middle East embassies

The United States Department of State is preparing to send diplomats back to several American embassies in the Middle East that were evacuated before and during the conflict with Iran. According to a report by the New York Times citing internal documents, the return of Foreign Service personnel and the scaling back of emergency security measures could begin as early as this week.

The affected diplomatic missions include those in Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Iraq, and Kuwait. While Reuters has not independently verified the report and the State Department was unavailable for comment outside of standard business hours, an official statement noted that the department continuously reviews its security posture globally. The department confirmed that it is adjusting staffing levels in certain Middle East locations based on recent assessments to ensure the continuation of its diplomatic missions.

This decision marks a significant shift in regional operations following the evacuations necessitated by the recent period of hostilities. The adjustments are intended to restore higher levels of staffing at these specific posts to stabilize diplomatic presence in the region.