WASHINGTON, June 22, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The United States has begun evacuation flights from Israel, the US ambassador said Saturday, as Israel trades deadly strikes with archenemy Iran.

Mike Huckabee wrote on X that the US government was offering assistance to American citizens and permanent US residents living in Israel or the West Bank.

A State Department official said around 70 people were flown from Tel Aviv to Athens, Greece on Saturday on two government-organized flights.

The official urged US citizens to depart on their own if possible, without waiting for government assistance.

Several other countries, including China, India and several European nations, have also arranged evacuations for their nationals.

Israel and Iran have exchanged wave after wave of devastating strikes since Israel launched its aerial campaign on June 13, saying Tehran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon.

Iran's health ministry on Saturday gave a toll of more than 400 people killed in Israeli attacks.

Iran's retaliatory strikes have killed at least 25 people in Israel, according to official figures.