The United States is cutting staff levels at four embassies in the Middle East as concerns grow of an Iranian attack.
An Oct. 23 memo sent to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio from Jay Clayton, the director of National Intelligence, said Iran “has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel,” according to a report by Axios.
“The lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries,” the memo states.
A U.S. State Department official on Friday told MBN that staffing levels at diplomatic missions in Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan were being reduced.
U.S. diplomatic missions have been operating under heightened security measures amid concerns that ongoing conflicts in the region could widen, the source said. The official added that there are currently no changes affecting U.S. government personnel in Kuwait or Bahrain.
On Oct. 21, the State Department updated a security alert warning Americans to use “extreme caution” when using airports in Saudi Arabia. Iranian-aligned Houthis in neighboring Yemen have targeted airports and other critical infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.
The U.S. has designated the Houthis as a terrorist organization. The alert warned that “hostilities have the potential to escalate.”
The official who spoke with MBN noted that the State Department has consistently issued broad warnings to U.S. citizens in the region about the possibility that ongoing conflicts in the region could spread.
Saudi Arabia has faced near-daily attacks by the Houthis. One of the attacks targeted Riyadh International Airport and resulted in the deaths of 13 people.
U.S. President Donald Trump hinted during a campaign rally on Friday that the United States could launch new military operations against Iran, without providing further details.
