The United States government has urged its citizens to immediately leave 14 countries through commercial means, citing “serious safety risks” linked to the ongoing U.S.-Israel war with Iran.
The affected countries include Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Israel, the West Bank and Gaza were jointly categorized in the advisory.
On Monday, President Donald Trump said the conflict could last longer than the four to five weeks he had earlier projected, expressing confidence that the United States “will easily prevail.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate is expected to vote this week on a War Powers Resolution that could limit the president’s authority to use military force in Iran without congressional approval.
Tensions further escalated after six U.S. service members stationed at a tactical operations centre at a port in Kuwait were killed in an attack attributed to Iran. Tehran has reportedly targeted U.S. assets and key locations across the region.
In response, U.S. forces have intensified strikes on Iran’s missile and drone production facilities, as well as naval assets, following an initial wave of attacks on Iranian defense systems. Additional troop deployments are said to be under consideration.
Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, commended the joint efforts aimed at weakening Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities but clarified that the alliance itself would not participate directly in the conflict.
The U.S. military campaign, code-named Operation Epic Fury, represents one of the largest concentrations of American military power in the region in decades. President Trump approved the operation on February 27 at 3:38 p.m. EST during a visit to Texas.
According to General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, American forces struck 1,000 targets inside Iran within the first 24 hours of the offensive. In Israel, the military operation has been dubbed Operation Roaring Lion.
