According to an official with the State Department, the evacuation of non-essential personnel from the U.S. Embassy Compound in Baghdad will be carried out via commercial flights, though the Pentagon is standing-by and preparing assets to aid in the evacuation if the need arises, amid escalating tension in the Middle East.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents housed at bases and other locations across the Middle East, according to Reuters.

Now would really be a great time for a press briefing from the Pentagon.

The White House states that President Trump is aware and following the departure of non-essential personnel and military dependents from the Middle East.

U.S. Embassies and other diplomatic sites in countries across the Middle East are being prepared for evacuation, after Iran’s Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh threatened to attack U.S. military bases throughout the Middle East earlier today if tensions continue to escalate in the region or if nuclear talks collapse between Tehran and Washington.

According to a defense official who spoke to Axios, “Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations across the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Area-of-Responsibility. CENTCOM is working in close coordination with our Department of State counterparts, as well as our Allies and partners in the region to maintain a constant state of readiness to support any number of missions around the world at any time. The safety and security of our service members and their families remains our highest priority and CENTCOM is monitoring the developing tension in the Middle East.”

Increased military air activity reported over the Anbar Province of Western Iraq.

The odds of “Israeli military action against Iran before July” have spiked on Polymarket’s betting market over the last few hours, current sitting at over 40%, following reports today of bases being placed on heightened alert as well as non-essential personnel and military dependents being evacuated from diplomatic sites and bases throughout the Middle East.

Iraqi officials confirm the evacuation of diplomats and staff from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad as well as the General Consulate in Erbil.

Reuters reports that the Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), General Michael E. Kurilla, has postponed his testimony tomorrow in front of congressional leaders due to rising tension in the Middle East.

The Senate Armed Services Committee confirms that their hearing Thursday with the Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), General Michael E. Kurilla, has been postponed until further notice.

Satellite imagery from Monday of Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, roughly 2,000 miles from Iran, showed 4 B-52H Long-Range Strategic Bombers as well as at least 6 F-15E Strike Eagles, alongside 6 KC-135 Aerial-Refueling Tankers and a C-5M Heavy-Lift Aircraft.

Credit for the imagery goes to @MT_Anderson on X.

The Israel Defense Force has been on extremely high alert in recent days for possible escalation with Iran, according to Israeli officials who spoke with Axios.

Interesting…

Al-Arabiya reports that military aircraft, believed to likely be Israeli, are currently flying over Southern Syria.

Israeli sources are reporting that fighter aircraft can be heard tonight over Northern and Central Israel, believed to likely be departing from airbases and heading northeast towards Syria.

U.S. Republican Senator Tom Cotton said in a post earlier that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed today that Iran is working towards a nuclear weapons, adding “this cannot be allowed to happen.” Senator Cotton was likely referencing a statement made by Hegseth while testifying today in front of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee, in which he stated, “There are plenty of indications that Iran has been moving their way towards something that would look a lot like a nuclear weapon.”

The U.S. ordered all embassies in striking distance of Iran, including those in the Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe and North Africa, to convene emergency action committees and send cables back to D.C. about what measures they are taking to mitigate risks, which is what led to today’s departures from Iraq, according to the Washington Post.

According to the Washington Post, U.S. officials have stated that the sixth round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran, scheduled to take place this weekend in Muscat, are looking less and less likely to happen, due to rising tension in the Middle East.

The U.S. is on high alert in anticipation of a potential Israeli strike on Iran, with intelligence officials having grown increasingly concerned that Israel may choose to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities without the consent of the United States. Such concerns about a potential conflict between Israel and Iran led the State Department on Thursday to order the evacuation of diplomats from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and General Consulate in Erbil, Iraq. “We are watching and worried,” said one senior diplomat in the Middle East. “We think it’s more serious than any other time in the past.” -WaPo

U.S. President Trump was asked earlier while leaving the White House on the way to the Kennedy Center, why military dependents and diplomats were being evacuated from the Middle East, to which he shrugged and responded, “You'll have to see, thank you.”