The US State Department on Friday authorized non-emergency personnel and the family members of those stationed in Israel to leave the country due to “safety risks,” with US Ambassador Mike Huckabee reportedly telling embassy staff that if they want to leave Israel, they “should do so TODAY.”

The embassy’s call for non-emergency staff to depart, issued in a security alert, “will likely result in high demand for airline seats today,” Huckabee wrote in an email to staffers in Israel, according to The New York Times. “Focus on getting a seat to anyplace from which you can then continue travel to DC, but the first priority will be getting expeditiously out of country.”

“There is no need to panic,” Huckabee continued, “but for those desiring to leave, it’s important to make plans to depart sooner rather than later.”