The US on Tuesday ordered government personnel whose presence "is not critically important" and their family members to leave Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, and Jordan, and also closed several diplomatic missions in the region amid escalating tensions with Iran, UNN reports with reference to Reuters.
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The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia was closed on March 3 after a drone attack, and Americans in Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dhahran were ordered to remain in place.
The US Embassy in Kuwait stated that it would remain closed until further notice, and all scheduled and emergency consular appointments were canceled.
In Israel, the US Embassy stated that it was unable to evacuate or directly assist Americans seeking to leave the country and advised citizens to make their own security plans.
These measures are being taken amid the expanding conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran in the region, leading to increased security measures at American diplomatic missions and restrictions on non-essential travel to military facilities, the publication writes.
New strikes and American calls to leave the Middle East - latest news03.03.26, 08:30
As CNN notes, on Tuesday night, the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia was struck by presumably Iranian drones and announced the cancellation of all consular appointments due to the attack. The US Embassy in Kuwait was also struck and announced its closure until further notice.
Many of Iran's neighbors bear the brunt of its firepower, including Gulf countries that host US military bases. Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have reported intercepting hundreds of drones and missiles since the start of the latest conflict; Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have also reported a large number of intercepts, raising questions about how long their air defense systems can cope.
Countries like the US and Canada have urged their citizens to leave the Middle East, although options are few. Thousands of international flights have been canceled in recent days, and some airports remain closed, leaving travelers stranded.
Many of the civilian casualties in the Gulf countries are South Asian citizens, highlighting the region's reliance on migrant labor, who often work in precarious conditions. Many of them are employed in low-wage jobs, and human rights organizations have repeatedly warned that migrant workers in these tiny but extremely wealthy states face appalling conditions, CNN points out.