US tells some embassy staff to leave Israel as Iran war clouds gather

The United States authorised the departure of non-emergency embassy staff from Israel on Friday, as it threatened strikes on Iran and pressed its biggest military build-up in the Middle East in decades.The move came a day after a round of Oman-mediated talks between Iran and the US seen as a last-ditch bid to avert war, though initial optimism was tempered by Tehran warning Washington must drop “excessive demands” to reach a deal.The talks follow repeated threats from President Donald Trump to strike Iran while the US military builds up its forces in the region.As the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, was due to arrive off the coast of key US ally Israel, the US embassy in the country announced it was allowing non-emergency government personnel and family members to leave “due to safety risks”.“Persons may wish to consider leaving Israel while commercial flights are available,” the embassy said on its website.The New York Times reported that US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee sent an email to embassy staff on Friday morning saying that those wishing to leave “should do so TODAY”.