US embassy staff start returning to ME

WASHINGTON:

The United States is beginning to send personnel back to some diplomatic missions in the Middle East that were evacuated or downsized amid tensions with Iran, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The posts in Lebanon, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Baghdad, Iraq, are among those where staff will return, the sources

said. Family members will also be allowed to return to the US post in Riyadh, they added.

The move suggests Washington sees a lower risk of the conflict with Iran escalating in the near term, though some embassies will initially operate below full capacity.

Some embassies will initially operate at no more than 85% of authorised personnel levels, the sources said. A US State Department spokesperson told Reuters in an emailed statement that the department continuously reviews the security posture of its diplomatic missions worldwide and adjusts staffing levels based on its latest assessments