Israel is fully ready to launch an operation into Iran, United States officials have been told, multiple sources told CBS News.
The US anticipates Iran could retaliate on certain American sites in neighboring Iraq.
This is part of the reason the US advised some Americans to leave the region earlier Wednesday, with the State Department ordering non-emergency government officials to exit Iraq due to ‘heightened regional tensions’, CBS News reported.
The US State and Defence Departments have begun moving non-essential personnel out of several locations across West Asia amid growing regional tensions, CNN reported citing US officials and sources familiar with the matter.
While the exact cause of the shift in posture remains unclear, a defence official told CNN that US Central Command (CENTCOM) is monitoring ‘developing tension in the Middle East’.
President Donald Trump, commenting on the situation, said, “They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place… we’ve given notice to move out, and we’ll see what happens.”
CNN reported that the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations across the region has been authorised by Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth.
“The safety and security of our service members and their families remains our highest priority,” an official said.
CENTCOM commander General Michael Kurilla postponed his scheduled testimony before a Senate committee due to the evolving situation, according to a defence official.
Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is still planning to meet with Iran for a sixth round of talks on the country’s nuclear program in the coming days.
Trump said that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons.
“They can’t have a nuclear weapon. Very simple. They can’t have a nuclear weapon. We’re not going to allow that,” he said.
Tensions in the region have been rising in recent days as talks between the US and Iran over its rapidly advancing nuclear program appear to have hit an impasse.
