A demonstrator burns US and Israeli flags during a protest near the American embassy in Lebanon. US citizens abroad are being urged to flee the region due to growing fears of violence. Photo: Zuma Press/Alamy
The United States has issued a rare global warning to Americans abroad, warning that they face an increased risk of terrorist attacks or violence in the aftermath of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Lebanon was at the center of fears, with Britain and America urging their citizens to flee on any remaining flights from the country, where a new front in the conflict between Israel and Hamas could open.
«Global caution», the US State Department advised all Americans to exercise caution as unrest erupted in the Middle East and protesters attacked US diplomatic facilities.
The announcement was seen as an important step and the first such warning since then. August 2022, when the United States killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaeda, and feared reprisals against its targets and citizens abroad.
In a warning issued Thursday, Americans traveling in locations, it is advised to «be vigilant» and «exercise increased caution due to the potential for violence and heightened tensions» around the world.
Separately, Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State ordered all embassies and consulates to conduct emergency security reviews.
In Washington, US Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department is monitoring an increase in reports of threats to Jewish, Muslim and Arab communities in the US .
American outposts, especially military installations, across the Middle East The East has come under attack in the last 48 hours due to US support for Israel.
Lebanon became a flashpoint, with television footage of protesters throwing projectiles outside the US Embassy in Beirut on Thursday.
Lebanese security forces used tear gas and water cannons to try to disperse the crowd, but the anger was palpable among the hundreds gathered , and were not easily contained.
Some protesters threw rocks and Molotov cocktails, causing a fire near the US Embassy, Fox News reported.
On Thursday, the US Embassy instructed American citizens to prepare «contingency plans.»
They were told to «plan to leave as soon as possible while commercial options are still available.»
US State Department also allowed non-emergency U.S. government employees and their families to leave Lebanon and Israel.
A day earlier, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advised British citizens in Lebanon to «leave immediately». , warning that «tensions are high and events could escalate without any warning.»
Many Arab countries have already urged their citizens to avoid traveling to or leaving Lebanon. Saudi Arabia is urging its citizens to leave the country «immediately» and Kuwait is warning against travel there.
Germany, France, Canada, Australia and Sweden have also warned their citizens against non-essential travel to Lebanon.
Germany's Foreign Ministry urged its citizens to fill out their details on an online crisis portal to keep them «fully informed» of the situation.
Meanwhile, two drones attacked U.S. troops at the Tanf garrison on Thursday, officials said. southeast Syria. One drone was shot down and another caused minor injuries.
The garrison is located in a vulnerable location that is often used by Iran-backed militants to funnel weapons to Hezbollah, a powerful Hamas ally.
On Thursday, Syrian opposition activists also said a drone had attacked an oil facility in eastern Syria where US troops are stationed.
Omar Abu Leila, a European activist who heads the Deir ez-Zor 24 news agency, said that three drones with explosives struck the Konoko field in the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor, bordering Iraq.
Rami Abdurrahman, a spokesman for the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition military watchdog, said five explosions were heard at the Conoco gas field.
This followed a string of similar drone strikes that injured forces coalition forces deployed to bases in Iraq in recent days amid rising regional tensions after hundreds were killed in a hospital explosion in Gaza City.
Two drones targeted Al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq, which is used by US forces, and one drone targeted a base in northern Iraq, a US official said.
US troops intercepted all three, destroying only two, damaging the third , resulting in minor injuries among coalition forces at the western base, US Central Command said.
«At this moment of heightened alert, we are vigilantly monitoring the situation in Iraq and the region,» a Central Command spokesman said.< /p>
Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias, later claimed responsibility and said it was «heralding new operations» against the «American occupation.»
Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon and boasts a huge arsenal, has also threatened to attack US targets in the region.
This comes amid fears that a second front between Israel and Hamas could open as a result of fighting in the region. Southern Lebanon continued, although artillery exchanges between Hezbollah and Israel were limited to towns along the border.
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