WASHINGTON, March 3 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- The United States (US) State Department urged American citizens to depart from several countries and regions across the Middle East, citing “serious safety risks,” Anadolu Ajansi reported.
In a security update released on Monday, the department listed 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 as the affected locations.
In a post on X, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar urged Americans to “DEPART NOW” from the listed locations using available commercial transportation.
Since Saturday morning, Israel and the US have carried out strikes on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top security officials.
In response, Iran launched drone and missile attacks on Israel and US assets in the region, prompting several Gulf states to shut their airspace.
Earlier, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that six US service members have been killed so far on the third day of the US-Israeli joint attacks.
-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU
