{"id":2575673,"date":"2026-03-03T15:44:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T20:44:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-citizens-stranded-amid-mass-evacuations-from-middle-east\/"},"modified":"2026-03-03T15:47:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T20:47:09","slug":"us-citizens-stranded-amid-mass-evacuations-from-middle-east","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-citizens-stranded-amid-mass-evacuations-from-middle-east\/","title":{"rendered":"US citizens stranded amid mass evacuations from Middle East"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fus-citizens-stranded-amid-mass-evacuations-from-middle-east%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2575673&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The State department is mobilizing military aircraft and charter flights to evacuate U.S. citizens from the Middle East as commercial travel becomes unreliable after Iranian strikes on airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha in retaliation for U.S. actions.Assistant Secretary Dylan Johnson said they are actively securing departures and have contacted nearly 3,000 Americans abroad. Lawmakers like Marco Rubio urged Americans to depart the region promptly, while others warned of very <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >limited travel options amid embassy closures<\/a>. President Trump defended the rapid launch of Operation Epic Fury, but critics argued that evacuation planning was inadequate. Regional airlines indicated that regular flights are not likely to resume soon.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">State Department deploying military aircraft to evacuate US citizens from Middle East<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2521804\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/state-department\/\">State Department<\/a> is preparing to deploy military aircraft to transport U.S. citizens out of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/middle-east\/\">Middle East<\/a>, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/european-regulator-to-lift-boeing-737-max-grounding-in-january\/\" title=\"European regulator to lift Boeing 737 MAX grounding in January\">commercial flight<\/a> complications prevent Americans from heeding evacuation calls.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\">Iran<\/a> successfully struck airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha in retaliation for the weekend operations by the United States and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/israel\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"219\">Israel<\/a>. Those three airports are major hubs for international travel, and the continued launch of Iranian strikes has made airlines skittish about take-off.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4477957\/threat-iran-retaliation-across-middle-east-embassies-airports\/\">Threat from Iranian retaliation strikes spreads across Middle East, targeting embassies and airports<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4478138\/iran-assembly-of-experts-bombed-during-election-next-supreme-leader\/\">Iran&#8217;s Assembly of Experts bombed during election to decide next supreme leader<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3445019\/strait-of-hormuz-iran-israel-conflict-world-oil-supply-prices\/\">Iran may close Strait of Hormuz amid Israel conflict. How does it affect the world&#8217;s oil?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;The State Department is actively securing military aircraft and charter flights for American citizens who wish to leave the Middle East,&rdquo; Assistant Secretary Dylan Johnson said Tuesday afternoon. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been in direct contact with nearly 3,000 Americans abroad.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A priest who led a group of people on a religious pilgrimage pushes a luggage trolley upon arriving at the Henri Coanda International Airport after being evacuated from Israel via Egypt on a commercial flight, in Otopeni, Romania, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo\/Vadim Ghirda)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Secretary of State <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/marco-rubio\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"51\">Marco Rubio<\/a>, citing &ldquo;serious safety risks,&rdquo; urged all Americans on Monday to &ldquo;DEPART NOW&rdquo; 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.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Ambassador to Israel <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mike-huckabee\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1142\">Mike Huckabee<\/a> warned Americans on Tuesday morning that there are <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/govmikehuckabee\/status\/2028696725448167646\">&ldquo;very <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/three-controversial-cardi-b-moments\/\" title=\"Three Controversial \u2018Cardi B\u2019 Moments\">limited options<\/a>&rdquo; for travel<\/a> at the moment.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We are getting a lot of requests regarding evacuating from Israel from American citizens who are currently in Israel or who have family here. I do not recommend exit via Jordan at this time,&rdquo; Huckabee wrote on social media. &ldquo;Flights are not consistent and access across the Allenby crossing has limited hours.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The problem is further compounded by the closure of key U.S. Embassies due to &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/syrians-blaming-biden-for-ongoing-mideast-tensions\/\" title=\"Syrians blaming Biden for ongoing Mideast tensions\">ongoing regional tensions<\/a>,&rdquo; such as in Kuwait and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4476459\/lebanon-bans-hezbollah-military-activities-retaliatory-strikes-launch-beirut\/\">Lebanon<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>The State Department is also offering a dedicated phone line for American citizens in the Middle East seeking &ldquo;assistance with departure options.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> was asked in the Oval Office on Tuesday why there wasn&rsquo;t an evacuation plan ahead of the Saturday strikes, to which he responded that &ldquo;Operation Epic Fury&rdquo; was rolled out without sufficient time for such preparation.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Q: Commercial air travel is severely restricted in the Middle East. Thousands of Americans are stranded. Why wasn&#8217;t there an evacuation plan?<\/p>\n<p>TRUMP: Because it happened all very quickly <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0Ylpel2wF4\">pic.twitter.com\/0Ylpel2wF4<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/atrupar\/status\/2028879618648707535?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 3, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;It happened all very quickly. We thought &mdash; I thought, maybe more so than most, I could ask Marco &mdash; but I thought we were going to have a situation where we were going to be attacked,&rdquo; Trump said. &ldquo;They were getting ready to attack Israel, they were getting ready to attack others &mdash; you&rsquo;re seeing that right now.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;A lot of those missiles that are hitting, those are stationary,&rdquo; the president continued. &ldquo;Those were aimed there for a long period of time at those other countries.&hellip; We attacked first, and if we didn&rsquo;t, it could have been &mdash; look, we&rsquo;re really decimating them, they&rsquo;re being decimated.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The president&rsquo;s critics are lambasting the White House for failing to properly prepare U.S. citizens for evacuation before <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4475923\/pictured-monitoring-situation-photos-trump-briefed-iran-operation\/\">launching Operation Epic Fury<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4476674\/trump-regime-insider-more-appropriate-lead-iran-than-reza-pahlavi\/\">TRUMP SAYS REGIME INSIDER &lsquo;MORE APPROPRIATE&rsquo; TO LEAD IRAN THAN REZA PAHLAVI<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Warnings to citizens to evacuate 3 days into this war, when airspace is closed, is a clear sign of ZERO strategy and planning by the Trump admin,&rdquo; Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/andy-kim\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11056\">Andy Kim<\/a> (D-NJ) said in &#8203;a social media statement. &ldquo;Now Americans have limited options to evacuate at an extremely dangerous moment with no government assistance. This administration is failing its citizens.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The largest airlines in the region &mdash; such as Etihad, Air Emirates, and Qatar Airways &mdash; have said their commercial flights are not expected to resume until later in the week.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>US to evacuate citizens as flights stall; Iran strikes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3468,"featured_media":2575674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26062130511430.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[17713,32726,9928,33049,34694],"class_list":["post-2575673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-evacuation","tag-middle-east","tag-stranded","tag-travel-advisory","tag-us-citizens"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26062130511430.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2575673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3468"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2575673"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2575673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2575677,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2575673\/revisions\/2575677"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2575674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2575673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2575673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2575673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}