WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. State Department on Monday ordered non-emergency U.S. personnel to evacuate the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, amid heightened tensions in the Middle East.

"The Department of State has ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and eligible family members from U.S. Embassy Beirut," the State Department said in a statement, giving no reasons.

"We continuously assess the security environment, and based on our latest review, we determined it prudent to reduce our footprint to essential personnel," said the statement. ■