When it comes to the Middle East and rising tensions, the most watched US diplomatic compound in the whole region is the American embassy in Beirut.
When things get hot, or America is at war, the threat level is always raised here first - given also that it has in the past been attacked, especially in the early 1980s with suicide bombings.
Now with potential war with Iran looming, the US State Department is taking no chances, also given Iran's main proxy group, Lebanese Hezbollah, is very active in the capital. If the US were to attack Tehran, it's entirely possible that Hezbollah could in turn hit American interests in Lebanon.
On Monday, a senior State Dept official conformed the order has gone out for the departure of non-emergency personnel at the embassy in Beirut.
"We continuously assess the security environment, and based on our latest review, we determined it prudent to reduce our footprint to essential personnel," the US official told Al Jazeera.
"The Embassy remains operational with core staff in place," the source detailed. "This is a temporary measure intended to ensure the safety of our personnel while maintaining our ability to operate and assist US citizens."
Again, the heightened precautions are seen as especially necessary in a place like Beirut, which decades ago even saw the American ambassador assassinated. According to a US State Dept outline of past events:
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