Current sectionIsrael NewsIsrael SecurityEmbassies reportedly slated to restore staffing include those in Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Iraq and Kuwait. The return could begin as early as this week, The New York Times saidShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribethe U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv. Credit: Google mapsthe U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv. Credit: Google mapsReuters01:41 PM • August 25 2026 IDTThe U.S. ⁠State Department is ‌preparing to return diplomats to embassies in the Middle East ‌that were evacuated before and during the war with Iran, the ⁠New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing an internal State Department document.The return ⁠of Foreign Service officers and the scaling back of emergency measures at U.S. missions in the region could begin as early as this week, the report said.Reuters was not immediately able to verify the ‌report. The U.S. Department of State could not immediately be reached for comment ‌outside regular business hours.U.S. embassy in Baghdad. Credit: ReutersU.S. embassy in Baghdad. Credit: ReutersEmbassies slated to restore higher staffing levels include those in Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Iraq and Kuwait, according to the report.In a statement quoted by the New York Times, the State Department said it "continuously reviews the security posture at our diplomatic missions around the world.""Based on our latest assessment, we are adjusting our staffing posture at certain posts in the Middle East to ensure we can ⁠continue advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives while protecting the safety and security of our personnel," it added.According to the document, the ‌first diplomats to return would be ⁠assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon, although staffing ‌there would remain below full levels. Ultimately, staff would return completely to the U.S. embassies in Israel, Jordan and Oman, the report said.Posts in ⁠the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Lebanon would initially be capped at 85 percent staffing, while missions in Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain would be limited to 75 percent, according to the document.The staff reductions ‌began in February, when Washington authorized voluntary departures of non-emergency personnel and family members from Israel amid tensions with Iran.In the NewsReport: U.S. Prepares to Return Mideast Diplomats Evacuated Before Iran WarChaos at Ben-Gurion: Israel Faces a Future Cut Off From the WorldSyrian President Thanks Trump for Removing Damascus From Terrorism Sponsor List'Every Child Deserves Medical Care': The Israeli Group Opening a Clinic in GazaPoll: Eisenkot Maintains Lead, but His Bloc Falls to Two Seats Short of MajorityRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIAn Israeli Startup Is Reinventing Salmon Farming. It May Upend a Global IndustryThe American Jewish Establishment Is Defending an Israel That No Longer ExistsHasan Piker Talks Hamas, anti-Zionism and Why Americans Are Fed Up With IsraelDavid Remnick on Netanyahu, Mamdani and Israel's 'Failure to Face' GazaBeing Israeli Abroad Has Become Embarrassing. You Don't Talk About ItGermany Found Its Israeli Villain. Will It Continue to Ignore What Produced Him?