US citizens in Middle East should consider departing, State Department warns

In a fresh travel advisory distributed through US embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the department warned travellers to remain vigilant amid possible airspace closures and airline cancellations. The State Department on Saturday.

It added that US citizens should consider departing the region or be ready to leave if the security situation worsens. The department also advised Americans to reconsider planned travel to or through the Middle East.

What Happened

The latest warning marks a stronger stance than an earlier advisory issued this month, which did not recommend preparing to leave the region. The advisory comes as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to escalate.

• Despite earlier hopes for diplomacy, including a memorandum of understanding signed in June to facilitate peace talks, fighting resumed after Trump declared the ceasefire "over" in early July.

• The renewed hostilities have intensified concerns that the conflict, now in its sixth month, could widen further across the region.

• The warning follows confirmation by the US military two days earlier that it had carried out a "heavy wave of strikes" on Iran.

Key Details

On Saturday, Kuwait's Army said its air defence systems intercepted Iranian drones, adding that explosions heard in the country were caused by efforts to destroy the incoming aerial threats.

• US President Donald Trump warned on Friday that the US would be "hitting them very hard" if necessary, while Iran vowed to "punish" the US following what American officials described as a heavy exchange.

What Reports Say

Coverage of the story so far points to:

• Continued reporting by India Today as more details emerge