The U.S. State Department this week issued a “worldwide caution” alert as tensions in the Middle East escalate amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
An alert posted on the State Department’s website Thursday read: “Due to increased tensions in various locations around the world, the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests, the Department of State advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution.”
In apress briefing Thursday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, “Earlier today we issued a worldwide caution alert where we advised U.S. citizens that due to increased tensions in various locations around the world, the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations, or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests, the Department of State advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution.”
AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty
Miller noted that, earlier in the week, the department had raised its travel alert for Lebanon to “Do Not Travel,” asking American citizens to make arrangements to leave the country “as soon as possible.”
“We took the step in Lebanon because we’ve seen increased activity there that we thought warranted it,” Miller noted in the briefing.
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In response, Israel declared war on Hamas — which controls the Palestinian territory of Gaza — and indicated that a long military campaign to defeat the Islamist militants is on the horizon.
Since the attacks and Israel’s response, protests have erupted throughout the Middle East — withsome demonstrators targeting U.S. diplomatic embassies.
As of Thursday, at least 3,700 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, many of them children, and more than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel.
source: people.com
