U.S. Criticized for Evacuation Delays Amid Middle East Conflict

U.S. lawmakers expressed outrage at the State Department on Tuesday for its delayed evacuation advisory to U.S. citizens in the Middle East, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. The call comes at a time when air travel is severely disrupted and no government-vetted means of evacuation are in place.

Former congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized the lack of support from the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, highlighting that Israel receives substantial annual financial aid from American taxpayers. Democratic Senator Andy Kim and others labeled the administration's response irrational and lacking a cohesive strategy.

Despite the State Department activating an inter-agency task force and launching a WhatsApp channel, effective evacuation strategies remain absent. Rising tensions have led to oil price surges and complicated international relations, with several U.S. embassies in the region reducing staff as the conflict escalates.