The United States will evacuate Americans in Israel by sea

The U.S. Embassy in Israel announced on Sunday that Americans and their families in Israel will be provided with a boat that will take them from the Israeli city of Haifa to Cyprus on Monday, Oct. 16. Passengers must get to the port by their own means and, once there, the boat will board passengers on a first-come, first-served basis.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller also reported Friday that the first plane carrying American citizens from Israel had landed in Athens, Greece. The State Department reported on its website that charter service remained available, as "commercial availability remains limited out of Ben Gurion Airport."

Passengers who opt for air transportation cannot choose their arrival destination, but it is always to "nearby safe locations." Flights are never directly to the United States. As with sea voyage that begins Monday, air evacuation is on a "space available basis," and travelers must sign a crisis intake form.