US issues travel alert for much of Mideast

Yossi Lempkowicz

2 hours ago

The State Department urges American citizens to reconsider going to Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The U.S. embassy in Jerusalem issued a security alert on Thursday, urging U.S. citizens to exercise increased caution while traveling in the Middle East.

Citing “high tensions in the region,” the embassy said that State Department Travel Advisories for “Bahrain, Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates remain at Level 3,” which urges citizens to “Reconsider Travel.”

The travel advisory for Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Gaza and Yemen remains at Level 4, which cautions against traveling to these destinations.

The embassy added that U.S. citizens should know the location of the nearest bomb shelter in the event of hostilities, and monitor local media for further developments.

The U.S. has been engaged in prolonged negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran in an attempt to end the war started on Feb. 28 in a joint military campaign together with Israel.

Although sources on both sides have indicated at times that a Memorandum of Understanding is close to being achieved, no agreement has been reached in almost 60 days of talks.