US Embassies Tell Americans: Consider Leaving Middle East
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- US embassies in Amman, Jerusalem, Muscat, Baghdad, and Beirut posted security alerts urging American citizens to "consider departing" and be prepared for an "unforeseen escalation" in the regional conflict.
- The alerts warned of potential flight cancellations, periodic airspace closures, and travel disruptions, directing citizens to check flight details and follow local authority safety advice.
- Americans in Jordan were told to avoid US military bases, which had recently come under Iranian missile attack, while those in Israel were urged to identify their nearest bomb shelter.
- The US Embassy in Jerusalem characterized Iran as "unpredictable," noting that attacks had expanded to areas not previously targeted, including Egypt.
- The US embassy in Beirut remains on "ordered departure status," with non-emergency US government personnel already relocated outside Lebanon.
- A drone struck a US-owned gas vessel moored in an Egyptian port on Wednesday, causing a fire; Egypt is investigating but has not yet accused any group of launching the attack.
- Iran's military accused Washington of "escalating tensions" and warned that countries serving as a "defensive shield" for the US "will be engulfed by the flames of war."
Why it matters: The coordinated alerts across five capitals signal a formal escalation in US travel guidance, with the Beirut embassy already on 'ordered departure.' The Jerusalem embassy noted Iranian attacks have expanded to areas not previously targeted, including Egypt, where a US-owned gas vessel was struck by drone — widening the risk zone for American citizens and assets beyond the original US-Israel-Iran triangle.
