US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told US Embassy staff who wish to leave to "do so TODAY,” the New York Times reported on Friday.
Huckabee informed embassy staff in an email sent at 12:04 a.m. to leave, urging them to book flights anywhere they could.
This move “will likely result in high demand for airline seats today,” he wrote. “Focus on getting a seat to anyplace from which you can then continue travel to DC, but the first priority will be getting expeditiously out of the country.”
He also stated that he would host a town hall meeting at 12:30 p.m. to provide additional information.
That same day, the State Department announced that it had authorized the departure of non-essential government workers and their families from Israel. It also advised US citizens against traveling to Israel.
The mass-issued handout suggests that US citizens should "consider leaving Israel while commercial flights are available."
Despite the warning, the State Department's senior spokesperson confirmed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would still be traveling to Israel next week, March 2-3.
China, France advises nationals to strengthen safety precautions
The Chinese embassy in Israel asked its citizens living in the country on Friday to strengthen their security precautions and emergency preparedness, citing "rising security risks."
The embassy released a statement urging Chinese nationals to closely follow new developments and information from Israeli authorities and to avoid unnecessary travel outside.
Earlier on Friday, state news agency Xinhua reported that China has advised its citizens to avoid traveling to Iran and urged those in the country to evacuate as soon as possible, citing the security situation.
In addition to reiterating that French citizens should not travel to Israel, the French Foreign Ministry has recommended that French nationals in Israel be vigilant and prudent and identify shelters.
Italy also recommended that Italian nationals in Israel exercise maximum caution and remain vigilant.
Britain's Foreign Office also advised against all but essential travel to Israel. The UK government announced that some staff and their dependents have been moved from Tel Aviv to another location within Israel as a precautionary measure.
Countries urge citizens to leave Middle East
In addition to China, several other countries have called for their citizens to leave or not travel to the Middle East in recent days, as tensions between Iran and the US continue to rise.
Canada issued a warning urging all citizens to leave Iran on Friday, cautioning that commercial flight options may be limited.
The United Kingdom said on Friday that it had temporarily withdrawn its staff from Iran due to the security situation.
Italy's foreign ministry on Friday urged its citizens to leave Iran and advised extreme caution across the Middle East. Travel to Iraq and Lebanon was also strongly discouraged.
The Australian government told dependents of Australian diplomats in Israel and Lebanon to leave the two countries, citing a deteriorating security situation in the region. It also offered voluntary departures to Australian diplomats' dependents in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Qatar.
Other countries cautioning their citizens to avoid or leave the area in the last few months include Finland, Serbia, Poland, Sweden, India, Cyprus, Singapore, Germany, and Brazil.
Reuters contributed to this report.