America “is accelerating the transfer of some of its diplomats from Arab countries.” Sources told Ofoq News: “The situation is chaotic.”

- The United States is rushing to transfer some of its diplomats and their family members from their positions in the Middle East, in light of the increasing risks of a regional escalation, according to what multiple sources familiar with this matter revealed to the Ufoq News network. These departures have been described as a “frustrating and chaotic repetition of previous events”; Many of the departed had only recently returned to their work sites, having previously received orders to leave during the height of tensions related to Iran.

One of the American diplomats said: “Describing the situation as chaotic does not do justice to what is happening,” explaining that the financial support provided to them so far does not fully cover the costs of transporting their families from the region. Many of these families had previously been forced - in the first weeks of those tensions - to leave their homes in the Middle East and search for new housing and schools for their children.

Now, many find themselves forced to repeat the same experience, with what they describe as potentially less financial support from the State Department. Nikki Gummer, spokeswoman for the American Foreign Service Association, told Ofoq News: “This situation brings to mind the chaos families experienced earlier this year.

Some of them had barely settled into their places until they were asked to leave again. “It is completely understandable for them to feel upset, confused and angry.”

These amendments come at a time when the Houthi group - supported by Iran - has intensified its attacks on Saudi Arabia. These are hostile actions that the US State Department has repeatedly warned “may rapidly escalate beyond the immediate area.” These steps also come in light of US President Donald Trump hinting at the possibility of launching new strikes against Iran after the midterm elections, and at a time when sources indicate that Israel has exerted pressure - so far unsuccessful - to take more immediate measures.

This week, the US State Department issued orders for the departure of non-essential employees and all family members of diplomats from Saudi Arabia, and officials explained that this decision came in response to the escalation by the Houthis. At the same time, sources told Ofoq News that the ministry is quietly adjusting its staff levels at several other embassies in the Middle East, including Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, and Lebanon.

Unlike the departure decision related to Saudi Arabia, transfers of staff from these other embassies have not been publicly announced. The US State Department confirmed that those embassies - unlike the embassy in Saudi Arabia - have not changed their status, and are still subject to the “restricted operations” system.

Even in the absence of an official change in the general situation, there may be a change in the number of employees working under this system. In the Jordanian capital, Amman, one source described the situation - with some embassy staff receiving orders to leave again - as a "boring repeat of events."

Now, family members are forced to leave those embassies to which they were only recently allowed to return; However, sources indicate that - unlike what happened earlier this year - they will not receive the same financial support. A source familiar with the evacuations said that communication and coordination - from the State Department headquarters in Washington to diplomatic corps officials abroad - is characterized by "total chaos", as bad as what happened in the early stages of tensions with Iran.

The source added that there are concerns among diplomatic corps officials about whether the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will grant their families “daily allowances” to cover the costs of moving to the United States, noting that some embassies did not hold planning meetings or general meetings with employees, which are usually standard procedures before departures. The source continued: "Many learned about the matter through the media, instead of receiving instructions from their leaders at the workplace."

For its part, the American Foreign Service Association, the union that represents these officials, stated that it had received reports indicating the presence of “bureaucratic confusion.” The association said in a statement on Thursday: “Families - who have barely returned to their workplaces and enrolled their children in schools - are receiving orders to prepare for evacuation again, without clarifying the amount of financial support they can rely on.”

In a statement to Afaq News, the association’s spokeswoman said, “Families outside Saudi Arabia informed the association that they had received instructions to leave without receiving assurances about assistance with housing or daily allowances.” She continued: "These families were informed that the reason was because their embassies did not change their status from the restricted operations system."

Families often rely on these provisions to help them find housing and cover the unexpected costs of having to leave their homes abroad, especially if the diplomatic family member will remain at the embassy as an essential staff member. “Families have the right to know how they will pay for housing before they board the plane,” Ghamer said.