The United States evacuated 79 employees and their families from its embassy in Israel on Friday, as the conflict between Israel and Iran escalated and a growing number of American citizens sought information on how to leave Israel and Iran, according to the Associated Press.
According to an internal State Department memo, the second known military flight this week departed Tel Aviv bound for Sofia, Bulgaria, where some or all of the passengers were scheduled to board a flight to Washington.
The document, obtained by the Associated Press, indicates that more than 6,400 American citizens in Israel registered an online form on Friday alone requesting information on when and how the U.S. government could arrange potential evacuation flights.
The document estimated that between 300 and 500 people per day could require evacuation assistance if the United States decides to provide air or sea flights to evacuate Americans, a matter US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said is under consideration.
An estimated 700,000 US citizens are in Israel, many of whom hold dual citizenship. However, the exact number at any given time is unknown, as US citizens are not required to notify the embassy of their presence or departure.
Earlier on Friday, before the memo was distributed, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters that more than 25,000 Americans had contacted the embassy seeking information about leaving Israel, the West Bank, and Iran.
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