US envoy tells embassy staff who want to leave Israel to do so 'today' - NYT
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee urged embassy staff in Jerusalem on Friday to leave the country immediately if they wish to depart, citing security concerns, New York Times reported.
In an email sent to mission employees at 10:24 a.m. local time, Huckabee said those who want to leave “should do so TODAY” and advised them to secure seats on outbound flights from Ben-Gurion Airport as soon as possible.
The embassy has shifted to an “authorized departure” status, allowing nonessential personnel and their family members to leave at government expense, he wrote, describing the move as taken out of “an abundance of caution” after consultations with the State Department.
“There is no need to panic,” Huckabee said in the email, but added that it was important to make plans to depart “sooner rather than later.”
The warning comes as tensions rise over the prospect of a US strike on Iran. Israel could face retaliation by Iran or its allies in the event of military action.
A State Department travel advisory issued earlier on Friday authorized the departure of non-emergency US government personnel from Israel due to safety risks.
“We, the filmmakers of Iran, condemn the suppression of people’s protests under any pretext. Protest is the natural and civil right of every human being. No power has the right to consider itself above the people,” the signatories wrote.
In a statement on January 25, the editorial board of Iran International said more than 36,500 people were killed during the targeted suppression of the Iranian protesters on the orders of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Referring to the killing of demonstrators, they added: “Shooting at people who have taken to the streets with empty hands is a crime against the right to life and has no justification.”
The statement, titled “We stand with the people of Iran,” comes after weeks of unrest and follows similar declarations by other civil and professional groups.
Earlier, more than 60 writers and activists in the field of children’s and young adult literature from several countries issued a separate statement condemning the killings on January 8 and 9.
On February 16, the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations announced a day of public mourning and school closures on February 18 in response to the deaths of more than 230 children and teenagers during the January protests. The move amounted to a strike by teachers and a call on families to keep students at home.
In their statement, the filmmakers pointed to nearly five decades of governance despite what they described as vast natural and human resources, arguing that justice, welfare and security have not been achieved. They cited organized corruption, plunder of public wealth and what they called a “fear-inducing ideology” as drivers of widespread poverty and despair.
Among the signatories are Pegah Ahangarani, Mahnaz Afshar, Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, Jafar Panahi, Katayoun Riahi, Saman Salour, Kianoush Ayari and Asghar Farhadi.
The filmmakers concluded that they would document “these days and these wounds” and defend freedom of expression while standing alongside the Iranian people.
