Americans stranded in the Middle East as the war in the region escalates are speaking out about their frustration and fears as the Trump administration seeks to reassure them that they are working to get them home.

“I feel just like a sitting duck,” one stranded American told CNN Tuesday morning.

The administration on Tuesday said it is looking at options including using military aircraft and charter flights to relocate US citizens in the Middle East who want to depart.

The efforts come days after the US and Israel launched its operation against Iran, prompting retaliatory attacks by Iran on countries throughout the Middle East.

“There is widespread frustration,” said an American currently in the United Arab Emirates who is trying to leave. “Do we head to the airport? Do we stay sheltered in place? The directive of the US government is completely unclear, they are saying to shelter in place but also to seek out commercial flights and there was no advance warning that a war was about to break out.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday afternoon that they “are confident we’re going to be able to assist every American.” More than 1,500 US citizens had reached out to request assistance, he said.

“We have identified and continue to identify charter flights, military flight options, and expanded commercial flight options, meaning working with the airlines to send bigger airplanes with more seats,” the top US diplomat said, but noted they were contending with airspace closures.

The note said the Department was “actively helping American citizens book” commercial tickets from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Egypt.

“For those in countries lacking commercial aviation availability, the department is facilitating travel to third countries as conditions allow. That includes increasing ground transportation options for American citizens wishing to leave Israel,” the State Department said.

US citizens who take the US-facilitated travel will not be required to pay the US government back for the cost, the department added.

A senior State Department official said they are “proactively contacting US citizens to offer them seats on these flights.” They also said that US embassies are helping US citizens travel from countries with closed airspace to locations with available charter flights, including using charter buses.

State Department officials have urged Americans to contact the Department if they are stuck overseas and need assistance at +1-202-501-4444. More than 120 people are fielding the calls at that 27/4 call center, a State Department official said.

‘It would be hilarious if it wasn’t so frustrating’

However, US citizens who have reached out to the State Department said they were frustrated by the very limited guidance they have received.

And the number, when one calls it, still advised in a recorded message on Tuesday afternoon, “please do not rely on the US government for assisted departure or evacuation at this time.” It urged Americans to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program for updates and said, “in the event of ongoing military action, Americans should shelter in place until it is safe to move about freely.”

That anger of those stuck was amplified for many when the State Department’s top official for consular affairs – days after the start of military operations – called on US citizens to “DEPART NOW” on “available commercial travel” from more than a dozen countries in the Middle East. There are virtually no commercial travel options available from the majority of those countries.

“It would be hilarious if it wasn’t so frustrating,” said Forrest Harrington, a US citizen stuck in Dubai. He was only meant to have a layover there on Saturday and was returning to the US from a work trip in India.

He said if the department had urged Americans against traveling to the region last week, he would have altered his travel plans.

“We decided to attack Iran, not knowing what to do with our citizens in other countries, you know, meanwhile, the UAE Government has, you know, housed and fed me since I got here and I’ve received nothing from my own government,” he told CNN. Harrington said he had not received any updates from the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.

“The Department of State tells me to evacuate, but there’s no way to do so,” said Katie, an American stuck in Bahrain. “I cannot believe there is no support for US Citizens stranded when the US started this conflict.”

“I was just supposed to have a short layover and now I’m here for the indefinite future, getting more and more trauma by the day,” she told CNN.

Todd Brown, a former acting assistant secretary of state for diplomatic security, said “certainly there should have been some notice” to Americans “about the concern over what could be looming.”

“We put military assets in the region, he told CNN. “That’s a change and an elevation of things. So, I would have thought there would have been consular to some degree advising Americans.”

The efforts to help Americans get back to the US also come as the State Department is reducing its diplomatic footprint across the region. The State Department ordered non-emergency personnel and their family members to depart from six countries – Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE – due to security concerns. Over the past several days, government personnel have been instructed to shelter in place in a number of countries. The US has temporarily closed diplomatic facilities in Pakistan, Beirut, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait due to security risks.

The first senior State Department official said the department has briefed 750 congressional staff, and that the Bureau of Consular Affairs would brief governors from across the country and their senior staff on Tuesday.

A second senior department official said they had assisted over 130 American citizens to depart Israel and 100 more were expected to depart Tuesday. (CNN)

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