U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee joked to embassy staff about having children while sheltering in place during the ongoing conflict, according to a memo reviewed by The Washington Post.
The memo, sent Tuesday to U.S. diplomats, local staff and family members, referred to the extended time employees were spending at home after the U.S. Embassy instructed personnel to remain near their residences.
“If the extended time with your spouse results in the birth of your next child in about nine months, I of course expect that you will want to name the little bugger after me!” Huckabee wrote, according to the memo cited by The Washington Post. “If it’s a girl, Michelle is a nice name too,” he added.
One U.S. official described the message to the newspaper as “awkward” and “odd.”
The memo was sent as tensions remain high across the region, with Iran launching missiles and explosive drones at U.S. diplomatic facilities and military bases in the Middle East.
Those attacks have resulted in the deaths of six U.S. service members and prompted the closure of multiple embassies.
Neither the U.S. State Department nor Huckabee immediately responded to requests for comment, The Washington Post reported.