The United States has ordered nonessential diplomats to leave Lebanon as tensions over Iran rise with the threat of a potentially imminent military strike.

The drawdown is a "prudent" step to reduce the U.S. footprint in the region while Trump mulls a strike on Iran, a State Department official said.

The State Department has ordered some staff in the U.S. Embassy in Beirut to begin to leave Lebanon, multiple sources familiar with the matter said.

People attend a large-scale iftar in Beirut, Lebanon, Feb. 21, 2026. A large-scale iftar held Saturday in Beirut accommodating about 5,800 orphans and underprivileged individuals set a Guinness World Record for a long iftar table stretching 3,255.8 meters. (Photo by Bilal Jawich/Xinhua)

The American University of Beirut has long been a haven for cats abandoned in times if war or crisis, but in recent years the feline population has grown dramatically.

The US State Department ordered the departure of all non-emergency government personnel from the US Embassy in Beirut, along with their family members. Many media outlets tied this to rising US regional tensions with Iran.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has announced hikes on petrol and sales taxes. Analysts say it is a regressive policy.