The United States is drawing down the presence of staffers who are not deemed essential to operations in the Middle East and their loved ones due to the potential for regional unrest.

President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday that U.S. personnel are being "moved out" of parts of the Middle East amid escalating tensions with Israel and Iran.

Shapiro served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East until January—charged with, among other things, considering scenarios in which tensions between Israel and Iran escalated into all-out war and preparing U.

The United States has pulled some diplomatic staff and military families out of the Middle East, citing unspecified regional security risks.

The collapse of Hezbollah, Hamas, and Assad presented an “opportunity” for Israel to expand its war across the Middle East.

The travel ban barring citizens from mainly African and Middle Eastern countries went into effect on Monday.

The S&P 500 ended lower on Wednesday, with investors spooked by Middle East tensions, while a tame inflation report calmed concerns around tariff-driven price pressures and traders awaited more details on China-U.

Johnson affirmed the U.S. and Israel's shared goal of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated the operation aims to counter Iran's threat to Israel's existence.