"After I saw the smoke, it was like I was staring into the face of death, and I knew I needed to do something immediately. In his first year of a two-year teaching contract, Dylan packed a few things and for the next few days took shelter in a school. He says he then called the embassy and was met with a recording saying the phone message box was full."
"Through the department's Task Force, we have directly provided security guidance and travel assistance to about 32,000 impacted Americans. Most Americans who have requested assistance have declined seats when offered, opting to remain in [the] country or take commercial flight options."
Following the US-Israel military action against Iran on February 28, US citizens residing in the Middle East expressed frustration with the State Department's preparedness and responsiveness. Many reported difficulty contacting embassy officials and felt abandoned during the crisis. A State Department official countered that the Task Force provided security guidance and travel assistance to approximately 32,000 affected Americans, noting that most who requested help declined offered seats, choosing instead to remain in-country or arrange commercial flights. Dylan, a 31-year-old teacher in Bahrain, experienced the attack firsthand and attempted multiple times to contact the embassy and State Department without success, eventually relying on family connections for assistance.
#us-iran-conflict #state-department-response #american-expatriates #middle-east-crisis #emergency-evacuation
Read at www.theguardian.com
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