The U.S. State Department has updated its travel advisories for 13 Middle Eastern nations to include warnings about potential armed attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis as well as Iranian efforts to target U.S. government officials in the region.
The existing advisory levels for all 13 nations were maintained.
Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen are listed under a Level 4 alert, the highest travel advisory level, which advises citizens not to travel to those countries.
Eight other nations—Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—are placed under Level 3, which advises citizens to reconsider travel.
The department warned that Houthi terrorists based in Yemen have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, targeting civilian airports and other critical infrastructure across the country, which resulted in civilian casualties and major travel disruptions. …