President Donald Trump’s administration is defending its evacuation operations in the wake of “Operation Epic Fury,” brushing off accusations that State Department preparations were not sufficient.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the State Department at a press conference on Wednesday, saying the department was “all hands on deck on advising extreme caution and do not travel alert to Americans in the region” ahead of the strikes on Iran.
“The State Department has been very clear to the American people … not to travel to these regions. We gave notices to leave immediately the countries where these Americans were within,” Leavitt said. “And unlike the previous administration, we actually have a number. We actually have identified the number of people in the region who have requested help. We are in direct contact and engagement with them.”
Addressing reports of stranded U.S. citizens who were unable to reach the State Department hotline, Leavitt emphasized that the contact line has been updated and its capacity expanded.
She added: “We will help every single American who wants to come home if they are making that request of the State Department.”
Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson reported on Wednesday that “over 17,500 American citizens have safely returned” from the Middle East since Feb 28 — further asserting that approximately 8,500 U.S. citizens returned “yesterday alone.”
“Many more Americans have left the Middle East to other countries in Europe and Asia, and others have safely departed the Middle East but are still in transit back to the United States,” Johnson continued. “Though the State Department’s 24/7 Task Force, we have assisted nearly 6,500 Americans abroad, including offering security guidance and travel assistance.”
It was announced on Tuesday that the U.S. military has deployed aircraft to areas across the Middle East in order to evacuate U.S. citizens trapped by commercial airline disruptions.
Iran successfully struck airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha in retaliation for the weekend operations by the United States and Israel. Those three airports are major hubs for international travel, and the continued launch of Iranian strikes has made airlines skittish about take-off.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, citing “serious safety risks,” urged all Americans on Monday to “DEPART NOW” from the following countries: Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel (including the West Bank and Gaza), Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
STATE DEPARTMENT DEPLOYING MILITARY AIRCRAFT TO EVACUATE US CITIZENS FROM MIDDLE EAST
The issue of evacuation has been further complicated by attacks on American embassies, with Rubio acknowledging that “diplomatic facilities are under direct attack.”
Multiple cruise ships in the region have also reportedly been forced to dock amid the exchange of ballistic missiles, including the Journey and Discovery ships operated by Celestyal Cruises.
Thousands remain stranded on at least six different ships from four different countries.