(By Sarah Roderick-Fitch/The Center Square) – Signaling U.S. strikes against Iran could be imminent, the State Department is urging non-essential government employees and their families to leave Israel.

The State Department issued an authorized departure for non-emergency and family members of U.S. personnel from Mission Israel Friday morning, citing “safety risks.” The message added, “persons may wish to consider leaving Israel while commercial flights are available.”

The alert comes as multiple reports indicate American personnel are being evacuated from Iraq.

The departures come as the USS Gerald Ford and its strike group have been spotted near the coast of Israel.

In recent weeks, there has been a massive build-up of American military forces in the Middle East.

The latest developments come amid reports that talks between the U.S. and Iran regarding the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program have stalled.

During President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address Tuesday night, he underscored the atrocities carried out by Iran as he is weighing another operation against the Islamic Republic.

The president warned that Iran has developed missiles “that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.”

Trump said he would prefer diplomacy, but “will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon.”

“I will never let the world’s number one sponsor of terror have a nuclear weapon,” the president vowed.