US orders family members, non-emergency US personnel to leave Lebanon

BEIRUT/ WASHINGTON — The US State Department ordered the departure of family members and non-emergency US government personnel from Lebanon, citing the volatile security situation in the region, a State Department notice emailed to US citizens in Lebanon showed on Sunday.

"On June 22, 2025, the US Department of State ordered the departure of family members and non-emergency US government personnel from Lebanon due to the volatile and unpredictable security situation in the region," the notice read.

The US had last year ordered the departure of family members and non-essential staff during Israel's war in Lebanon that had dealt severe blows to Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, but that order was later lifted.

Now, the world awaits Iran's response on Sunday after President Donald Trump said the US had "obliterated" Tehran's most sensitive nuclear sites, joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution.

The Israel-Iran war, which began on June 13 with Israeli attacks on Iran, has raised further alarms in a region that was already on edge since the start of Israel's military assault on Gaza in October 2023.

The US State Department has a "Level 4: Do Not Travel" advisory for Lebanon. — Reuters