US embassy in Jerusalem closed due to ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran: this is known

The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem closed operations as of Wednesday, June 18 , due to the security situation in the region and in compliance with Israeli government directives, the U.S. State Department announced Tuesday.

From this Wednesday until Friday, July 20, the Embassy and consulates in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv will remain closed in compliance with the directives of the Israeli Home Front Command.

The Embassy stated that due to “the current security situation and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran ,” it has ordered all U.S. government employees and their families to remain in and around their homes “until further notice.”

The diplomatic mission clarified that no announcement has been made at this time regarding assistance for the departure of private U.S. citizens . However, it indicated that the State Department is "always planning" in these cases.

"We will notify the U.S. citizen community if there is additional information to share regarding exit options," he stressed.

Israel and Iran exchanged new waves of airstrikes on the sixth day since the Israeli military launched a large-scale operation on Iranian territory, leaving dozens dead, despite calls from the international community to halt the escalation.

For his part, US President Donald Trump , who abruptly left the G7 summit in Canada yesterday to return to Washington, demanded an "unconditional surrender" from the Islamic Republic on Tuesday and claimed to know the whereabouts of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, although he noted that, for the moment, he has not made the decision to order his assassination.

Meanwhile, Khamenei warned on Wednesday that his country "will never surrender" to Israel, which bombed nuclear facilities, and threatened "irreparable damage" if Washington joins the offensive.

"The Iranian nation firmly opposes an imposed war, just as it will firmly oppose an imposed peace. This nation will never surrender to anyone's dictates," the supreme leader stated in a televised address.

He also issued a warning to the United States : "Americans must know that any military intervention on their part will cause irreparable damage," he warned, denouncing Trump's "unacceptable" statements.

The offensive paralyzed negotiations that had been ongoing for weeks between Tehran and Washington to limit the Islamic country's nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.