Southern Israel — The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem told U.S. citizens in Israel Thursday morning that the State Department was “planning for contingencies to assist with private U.S. citizens’ departure from Israel.”
“We will alert the U.S. citizen community if there is additional information to share regarding departure options,” the embassy said in an email message to Americans who had enrolled in the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).
“If the U.S. government provides departure assistance from Israel, options would most likely include travel to a nearby, safe country,” and not travel all the way back to the U.S., the embassy said. It asked Americans in Israel interested in leaving the country to fill out an online form.
“You will be responsible for your onward travel after arriving in the nearby, safe country. Consular officers will be available to assist you on arrival with consular services, including a loan to repatriate to the United States if you wish to do so and qualify,” the embassy said. It also said U.S. citizens would not be required to pay for the service, but they “will be expected to sign a promissory note to repay the U.S. government. We will tell you the estimated amount you will be expected to repay before you travel.”
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told Americans to register for the STEP program in a social media post early Thursday, echoing a similar message he posted Wednesday. His Wednesday post caused some confusion, as the State Department said afterward that it had “no announcement about assisting private U.S. citizens to depart at this time.”
“We’re working to get military, commercial, charter flights & cruise ships for evac,” Huckabee said Thursday. “If you’re offered a seat, take it. Family in Israel? Tell them to stay close to shelter & don’t ignore sirens!”
Baz Ratner/AP 
Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport remained closed Thursday, along with all of Israel’s airspace and seaports. A number of other countries, including China and several European nations, started evacuating citizens from Israel earlier this week.
On Wednesday, President Trump signaled the possibility of joining Israel in its ongoing strikes on Iran. Later in the day, officials told CBS News he had approved attack plans, but not yet made a final decision on joining Iran’s strikes.
“I may do it, I may not do it, nobody knows what I’m going to do,” Mr. Trump told reporters earlier in the day when asked whether the U.S. would get involved in the strikes on Iran’s nuclear and military facilities.
Mr. Trump has called on Iran to surrender completely. But Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said his country would not surrender and warned the U.S. against military intervention.
A number of Americans were trying to leave Israel across its land border with Jordan on Thursday, including a couple from Vermont who came to Israel on June 9 for their nephew’s wedding and told CBS News they’d only learned recently that they could leave over land into Jordan.
Another couple said they had been on a tour of Israel when it launched its attack on Iran and had been left stranded. Their tour company helped them organize travel to Israel’s border with Jordan.
