US embassies in 10 Middle Eastern countries, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the UAE, published new warnings Saturday calling on American citizens to leave the region, according to reports. A US C-130 cargo aircraft was observed over Erbil and reportedly withdrew as preparations for the next round of operations. US officials reportedly say a new wave of strikes on Iran could come as soon as this weekend.
US embassies in 10 Middle Eastern countries, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the UAE, published fresh warnings on Saturday calling on American citizens to leave the region. US officials have signaled that a new wave of strikes on Iran could come as soon as this weekend, according to reports. A US C-130 cargo aircraft was observed over Erbil, Iraq, and reportedly withdrew from the base, a move that typically precedes major operations.
The warnings follow a rapid escalation in US diplomatic alerts throughout the day. At 14:01 Jerusalem, the US Embassy in Israel initially advised American citizens to consider leaving the country due to the "potential for unexpected escalation." Within minutes, the advisory was broadened to cover all American citizens across the Middle East. By 14:37, the US Embassy in Oman had joined the wave, and by 14:45, the Jerusalem embassy explicitly urged Americans across the region to consider leaving or prepare for escalation. At 15:45, The Zioneer reported that US embassies in 18 Middle Eastern countries had issued urgent travel warnings, telling citizens to "flee" and seek underground shelter. The current warnings from 10 specific countries mark a further refinement.
The escalation comes amid a sustained direct confrontation between Washington and Tehran. As The Zioneer reported on June 10, US bases in Gulf countries raised alert to maximum level. On July 22, The Zioneer reported that Iran had struck US bases in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Iraq. The IRGC has moved to its highest alert level and wartime protocols, as noted in The Zioneer's August 1 Eye on Zion report.
The report of a C-130 withdrawing from Erbil remains unverified, based on a single source. It is also unclear whether the signals from US officials regarding a weekend strike represent a genuine operational timeline or a pressure tactic aimed at Tehran.
4 developments
Source and signal
- Open-source intake
