The US State Department has ordered non-emergency personnel to leave Bahrain, Jordan, and Iraq, as Iran continues retaliatory strikes following joint US-Israeli attacks on Iranian territory over the weekend .
The department announced on Tuesday that it had updated travel advisories for Bahrain and Jordan “to reflect the ordered departure of non-emergency US government personnel and family members of government personnel” . In a separate advisory, the department said it had on Monday “ordered non-emergency US government employees to leave Iraq due to security concerns” .
The growing conflict began on Saturday after joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran that Tehran said killed dozens of civilians and the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sparking retaliatory salvos across the region .
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said its naval forces carried out a large-scale drone and missile attack targeting a US air base in the Sheikh Isa area of Bahrain, according to a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency . The force claimed that 20 drones and three missiles were launched, destroying the base’s main command headquarters, though no evidence was provided .
In Saudi Arabia, the US Embassy in Riyadh was struck by two drones early Tuesday, causing a limited fire and minor material damage to the building, according to Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki . The embassy confirmed the attack and urged people to stay away, announcing it would be closed on Tuesday .
“Avoid the embassy until further notice due to an attack on the facility,” a statement said, urging American citizens to “shelter in place” .
The US Embassy in Kuwait also announced it was closed until further notice, a day after an AFP correspondent saw smoke rising from the mission following Iranian attacks on the country .
“Due to ongoing regional tensions, the US Embassy in Kuwait will be closed until further notice. We have cancelled all regular and emergency consular appointments,” the embassy said in a statement on X .
In Iraq, hundreds of protesters in Baghdad attempted Sunday to storm the fortified Green Zone where the US embassy is located, following the killing of Iran’s supreme leader . The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority extended the closure of the country’s airspace for an additional 48 hours amid ongoing regional tensions .
The Israeli military said it is now attacking Tehran and Beirut simultaneously, with the air force launching a wave of extensive strikes against what it described as “the Iranian terror regime and the Hezbollah terror organization” .
US President Donald Trump warned that the “hardest hits” are yet to come, stating that the United States has “the capability to go far longer” than its projected four-to-five-week timeframe for military operations against Iran . The Pentagon confirmed that six US service members have been killed in the conflict with Iran .
The US State Department has urged all American citizens to leave more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries due to safety risks, including Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the UAE, and Yemen .
