The United States has urged all American nationals across West Asia to leave immediately using commercial flights, days after tensions surged following joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
The advisory, issued by the State Department, comes amid growing fears that the conflict could widen further after American diplomatic missions in the Gulf were targeted by drone attacks.
Urgent ‘Depart Now’ Call
Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar said the department and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are urging Americans to “DEPART NOW” from multiple countries due to what she described as serious safety risks.
In a post on X, Namdar called on US nationals to use available commercial transportation to leave while it remains operational.
The countries listed in the advisory include: Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Palestine — including Gaza and the occupied West Bank — Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Americans who require assistance in arranging commercial departures have been asked to contact the State Department. The helpline numbers provided are +1-202-501-4444 for callers from abroad and +1-888-407-4747 for those in the United States and Canada.
Embassy Attacks Heighten Alarm
The warning follows recent drone strikes on US diplomatic facilities in the region. On Monday, smoke was seen rising near the US Embassy in Kuwait in Kuwait City, prompting officials to instruct American citizens to shelter in place and avoid visiting the compound.
Hours later, Saudi defence officials confirmed that a drone strike on the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia in Riyadh had caused limited damage and a small fire at the building.
These incidents have sharpened concerns that diplomatic outposts could become targets as hostilities intensify.
