The State Department is pulling out non-essential government personnel and their eligible family members from the U.S. embassy in Beirut, a senior State Department official said on Monday, amid growing concerns about the risk of a military conflict with Iran.

"We continuously assess the security environment, and based on our latest review, we determined it prudent to reduce our footprint to essential ​personnel," said a senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"The Embassy remains operational with core staff in place. This is a ‌temporary measure ‌intended to ensure the safety of our personnel while maintaining our ability to operate and assist U.S. citizens," the ​official said.

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