The U.S. Department of State updated its travel alerts this Saturday for multiple countries in the Middle East, citing the risk of increased regional aggression by Iranian-backed Houthis.
The measure was announced through the official travel alerts account of the State Department, which noted that the update reflects "the threat of increased regional aggression from Iran-backed Houthis."
The review revised the summary of threats and the risk indicators in the fact sheets for each country, although it did not formally raise the current warning levels.
Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen remain at Level 4 ("Do Not Travel"), while Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel are at Level 3 ("Reconsider Travel").
The State Department warned that hostilities could quickly escalate beyond the immediate conflict zone, with potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and other regional disruptions.
The update comes at a time of heightened tension in the region. On October 10, a Houthi attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport resulted in at least 12 deaths —including one American citizen— and more than 300 injuries, marking the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia in over a decade.
The accumulated toll by mid-October was at least 19 dead and 364 injured across five Saudi airports. This Saturday, the coalition led by Saudi Arabia intercepted two Houthi ballistic missiles aimed at the cities of Taif and Yanbu, triggering preventive alerts also in Mecca and Jeddah.
In parallel, the Director of National Intelligence, Jay Clayton, sent a non-classified memorandum on Friday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, warning that Iran had significantly increased its efforts to attack U.S. personnel abroad, with lethal plans in "advanced phases", primarily in the Middle East, although there are also potential targets in European countries.
The document did not specify concrete targets nor claimed that the attacks were imminent. A U.S. official cited by The New York Times clarified that "Iran's ability to carry out attacks in the United States and other foreign territories is limited, although its ambitions may exceed its current capabilities."
As a preventive measure, Washington had already ordered between October 21 and 22 the departure of non-essential government employees and their families from the embassy in Riyadh and the consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran.
The diplomatic personnel remaining in Saudi Arabia require special authorization from the head of mission to use the country's airports.
The State Department recommended that U.S. citizens enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (step.state.gov) and prepare exit plans that do not rely on government assistance, given the likelihood that the situation may deteriorate rapidly.
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