The United States has urged its citizens to immediately depart more than a dozen countries across the Middle East amid escalating hostilities linked to ongoing US-Israeli military operations against Iran and retaliatory strikes in the region.
In a statement posted on social media, the US State Department’s assistant secretary for consular affairs, Mora Namdar, advised Americans to “DEPART NOW” using available commercial transportation due to “serious safety risks.” The advisory applies to Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the occupied West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
The warning follows updated travel advisories in recent days, including existing Level 4 “Do Not Travel” notices for Iran, Iraq and Lebanon. The US Embassy in Amman, Jordan, also confirmed that its personnel had departed the diplomatic compound due to a security threat.
The advisory comes as embassies and military facilities in the region face heightened risks. The US Embassy in Riyadh was struck by drones early Tuesday, according to Saudi defence officials, causing limited damage and a small fire but no reported injuries. Smoke was also seen near the US Embassy in Kuwait City on Monday after what officials described as Iranian drone activity, prompting shelter-in-place instructions for American citizens.
The conflict sharply intensified after the United States and Israel announced a joint military campaign targeting Iran over the weekend. Iran has since launched retaliatory strikes against Israel and US-linked targets in the region.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility for a drone and missile attack on a US air base in Bahrain’s Sheikh Isa area, alleging significant damage, though no independent confirmation of the extent of the impact was immediately available.
Regional military movements have also expanded. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that the overnight strike in the Lebanese capital killed Hussein Makled, whom it called “the head of Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters”, the Times of Israel reported.
Israeli military has also had deployed additional forces to southern Lebanon in what it described as defensive positioning to prevent attacks on northern Israeli communities. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that additional strategic positions in Lebanon would be taken following attacks attributed to Hezbollah.
“To prevent the possibility of direct fire at Israeli communities, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have authorized the IDF to advance and hold additional dominant terrain in Lebanon and defend the border communities from there,” Katz was quoted by the Times of Israel as saying in a statement.
Diplomatic tensions have widened beyond the battlefield. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington acted after learning that Israel was preparing to strike Iran, arguing that pre-emptive action was necessary to avoid higher casualties. His remarks appeared to differ in emphasis from earlier justifications provided by President Donald Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
President Trump indicated that US operations could extend longer than initially anticipated, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war may take time but would not be prolonged indefinitely.
In Europe, Spain refused to allow the United States to use jointly operated military bases at Rota and Morón for strikes on Iran. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the US-Israeli action as a unilateral military move contributing to global instability. Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar criticised Sánchez, accusing him of siding with hostile actors.
In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Parliament that Britain would not participate in offensive operations but would focus on defensive measures. Drone incidents near RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus have heightened concerns about the conflict’s spillover effects. President Trump, in interviews with British media, expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of US-UK relations over the issue.
With commercial air traffic disrupted in parts of the region due to missile and drone activity, questions remain over how quickly Americans can depart affected countries. The US State Department has provided contact numbers for citizens seeking assistance in arranging travel.
As military operations and retaliatory strikes continue, the conflict appears to be widening geographically, drawing in multiple Gulf states and raising concerns about broader regional instability.
