State Department urges Americans to consider leaving Middle East as regional conflict escalates

The State Department on Saturday urged Americans across the Middle East to consider leaving the region or be prepared to depart on short notice, warning of flight disruptions and security risks as the conflict with Iran escalates. The advisory comes as President Donald Trump threatened Iran with additional attacks, saying Friday that the U.S. will be “hitting them very hard,” while Iran vowed to “punish” the U.S. as both nations traded what some U.S. officials described as “heavy” strikes. “Americans currently in the Middle East should exercise caution and heightened vigilance and should be prepared for flight cancellations, periodic airspace closures, and potential travel disruptions,” the State Department said Saturday. “Some airlines in the region have postponed resumption of earlier flight schedules; others have cancelled some routes. Americans in the region should consider departing, or be prepared to depart should there be escalation.” The State Department also urged Americans to reconsider travel bans to or through the region. The warning was distributed through U.S. embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The agency posted a nearly identical statement earlier this month, but that bulletin did not urge Americans to prepare to leave the Middle East or to reconsider upcoming trips, reflecting Washington’s growing concern that the conflict could widen. On Saturday, the Kuwait Army said its air defense systems intercepted drone attacks from Iran. “Kuwaiti air defenses are currently engaging hostile drone attacks following the Iranian aggression. The General Staff of the Army notes that any explosions heard are a result of air defense systems intercepting the hostile attacks,” the army said. Two days ago, the U.S. military confirmed it had executed a “heavy wave of strikes” on Iran, hours after Fox News reported that the president in a phone call had vowed to “beat the f---ing s--- out of” the country. The renewed fighting comes as Trump has grown increasingly exasperated with the state of the war, one Trump ally told NBC News. “There was not a real strategy for how long or what they should do to get to the endpoint,” the ally said. The conflict has now entered its sixth month, despite Trump repeated early predictions that the war would resolve itself “shortly.” The protracted conflict has led to soaring oil prices globally and rising gas prices in the U.S. There was a brief reprieve from fighting in June when the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding outlining the process for talks to end the war. But in early July, Trump declared a ceasefire to be “over” and the countries resumed striking targets in the Middle East.