The US State Department has issued a ‘worldwide caution’ travel alert
The US State Department has issued a ‘worldwide caution’ travel alert
The US State Department has issued a ‘worldwide caution’ travel alert for US travellors.
The US State Department on Thursday advised all US citizens worldwide “to exercise increased caution” due to “increased tensions in various locations around the world, the potential for terrorist attacks, (and) demonstrations or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests.”
The issuance of the worldwide caution alert is a significant message amid protests that have erupted throughout the Middle East in response to the Israel-Hamas war, with many demonstrators targeting US diplomatic compounds.
State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said Thursday that “we take a number of factors into consideration when making that determination” to issue a worldwide alert.
“It’s not necessarily any one thing but everything that we’re watching around the world,” he said at a State Department briefing.
In the past week, the State Department has raised the Travel Advisory for Lebanon and Israel to the highest level and has authorized non-emergency US government personnel and family members to depart. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent a cable to diplomatic posts worldwide ordering them to undertake emergency security reviews, CNN reported Wednesday.
The State Department last issued a worldwide alert in August 2022 in the wake of the killing of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, warning that “supporters of al- Qa’ida, or its affiliated terrorist organizations, may seek to attack U.S. facilities, personnel, or citizens.”
The notice issued Thursday advises US citizens abroad to “stay alert in locations frequented by tourists” and to enroll in the State Department’s “Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive information and alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency overseas.”
A US Navy warship operating in the Middle East intercepted multiple projectiles near the coast of Yemen, two US officials have told CNN.
ccording to one official, the missiles were launched by Houthi militants with backing from Iran, who are currently embroiled in an ongoing conflict in Yemen. The second official reported that approximately 2-3 missiles were intercepted.
Later on Thursday, Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed that the USS Carney had successfully intercepted three land attack missiles, along with several drones that had been launched by Houthi forces in Yemen with Iranian support.
During a news briefing, Ryder stated, “This action was a demonstration of the integrated air and missile defense architecture that we built in the Middle East and that we are prepared to utilize whenever necessary to protect our partners and our interests in this vital region.” He further noted that there were no reported casualties among U.S. forces and no known civilian casualties on the ground.
