US starts returning staff to Middle East missions - report

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is starting to send personnel back to some diplomatic missions in the Middle East that were evacuated or downsized amid tensions with Iran, Reuters reported. 

The posts in Lebanon, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Baghdad, ​Iraq, are among those where staff will return, the sources said. Family members will also ​be allowed to return to the U.S. post in Riyadh.

The move suggests ⁠Washington sees a lower risk of the conflict with Iran escalating in the near term, though some ​embassies will initially operate below full capacity.

The return of some staff is expected to start as early as this week, one of the sources said.

The New York Times earlier reported the ​return of diplomats ⁠and the easing of emergency measures and said embassies in Jordan, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar were also expected to restore higher personnel levels, citing an internal document.

U.S. embassies in Israel, Jordan and Oman would ultimately ⁠return to ​full staffing, while missions in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi ​Arabia, Qatar and Lebanon would initially be capped at 85% staffing. Posts in Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain would be limited to 75%, ​the newspaper added.