Trump Administration deploys military aircraft amid Iran conflicts to secure stranded Americans
The United States government is being very clear telling Americans
to leave right now
With thousands of US citizens trapped in the Middle East
and a corridor of airspace closed the Trump administration is
ramping up evacuation efforts with multiple charter flights underway
As Operation Epic Fury continues some Americans are caught in
the middle
We have about 1500 Americans that are requesting assistance with
departure
The State Department has urged US citizens to depart now
from countries throughout the Middle East due to serious safety
risks but the limited number of flights poses a challenge
which is why the Trump administration is working on options
for charter military and expanded commercial flights
We need to have contact information for Americans that need
assistance
They have to register with us because as these options
begin to open up and as they open up we
have to be able to call you
We have to be able to reach you
Americans in the region are being asked to call or
register with the State Department for help
Several US embassies in the Middle East have closed but
the State Department notes help is still available
We are continuing to work 24/7 in this interagency task
force to help Americans in those countries to leave should
they desire to do so
President Donald Trump was asked Tuesday why there were no
evacuation plans in place for Americans ahead of the weekend
strikes because it happened all very quickly
I thought we were going to have a situation where
we were going to be attacked
The ongoing conflict is causing travel chaos
Thousands of flights have been canceled internationally since Sunday according
to data from FlightAware.com
Today Israel began gradually reopening its main international gateway
Some flights have left U.S.-friendly Persian Gulf states like Dubai
and Abu Dhabi but the situation is still very fluid
Travelers are urged to monitor their government communications and to
check in with their airlines
In New York I'm Lee Waldman