US Warns Citizens to Exercise Caution When Travelling to the Middle East
The United States has urged its citizens located outside the Middle East to reconsider travel plans to and through the region. This warning was issued amidst increasing escalations across the Middle East.
According to the Travel.Gov social media platform owned by the US Department of State, American citizens in the Middle East should increase vigilance and prepare for potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions.
“Due to tensions in the Middle East, the security situation remains complex with the potential for unexpected escalation,” the statement read.
The department warned that the Iran-backed Houthi group has engaged in hostile actions against Saudi Arabia, including attacks involving civilian airports, stating that the conflict has the “potential to escalate rapidly.”
American citizens travelling to or from the region are advised to monitor information regarding airport operations and airlines.
The US Department of State also warned that US diplomatic facilities, including those outside the Middle East, have become targets. The US further cautioned that Iran and its proxy groups are likely to target other US interests abroad or locations associated with the US and its citizens worldwide, including US businesses and various other institutions.
This warning emerges amidst renewed Houthi attacks and tensions involving Saudi Arabia, following a series of security warnings and military incidents throughout the region.
Riyadh Targeted by Houthi Attacks
Previously, explosions were heard in Riyadh on Saturday local time. The blasts occurred after Saudi authorities issued an air raid warning following threats of attacks from the pro-Iranian Houthi group in Yemen.
“This area is under threat from enemy air activity,” read the warning message received by residents in the Saudi capital, as reported by AFP on Saturday.
This marks the first time the capital has been directly affected since the conflict in neighbouring Yemen intensified in July.
The Houthi group in Yemen stated on Friday that Saudi Arabia had launched 26 attacks on territories under their control within the last 24 hours, amid fierce clashes between the pro-Iranian group and the Riyadh-backed Yemeni government in the reignited civil war.
The group claimed that the number of Saudi attacks against them had reached 300 over the past week, targeting various Houthi-controlled regions in Yemen.