The United States is preparing to return diplomats to its Middle East embassies after withdrawing them because of tensions with Iran, with the process beginning this week at the embassy in Lebanon.
An internal State Department document indicates the embassy in Lebanon will be the first to receive returning staff, though at reduced levels from before the withdrawals, according to the New York Times.
Nine embassies across the region will see staffing increases: those in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Oman, Iraq, Kuwait and Israel.
The State Department said it was adjusting staffing levels in certain Middle East missions based on current security assessments, while maintaining the ability to pursue U.S. foreign policy objectives and protect its personnel.
The embassy in Lebanon will bring back 85 per cent of its staff initially, according to the internal document. Full strength will return to the embassies in Israel, Jordan and Oman.
The embassies in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Lebanon will operate at 85 per cent capacity, while those in Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain will function at 75 per cent, the document shows.
The staffing reductions began in February when the U.S. allowed non-essential personnel and their families to leave the embassy in Israel as tensions with Iran escalated.
