The United States Department of State has ordered the departure of non-emergency government personnel and their families from Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar and Kuwait, as the conflict between the US, Israel and Iran intensifies across the Middle East. In a statement posted on X, the department said it had updated travel advisories for Bahrain and Jordan "to reflect the ordered departure of non-emergency US government personnel and family members of government personnel". A day earlier, it had also directed non-essential staff to leave Iraq "due to security concerns".
The evacuation orders come amid widening Iranian retaliation following US-Israeli strikes on Iranian targets. Washington has urged American citizens to leave more than a dozen countries in the region as hostilities escalated.
Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it launched a large-scale drone and missile attack on a US air base in Bahrain. In a statement carried by the state news agency IRNA, the force said 20 drones and three missiles targeted the base in the Sheikh Isa area, “destroying the base’s main command headquarters”, though no evidence was provided.
Meanwhile, the US embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was struck by drones, according to Saudi authorities. The attack reportedly caused a limited fire and minor structural damage, with no injuries reported.
A loud blast was heard and flames were seen rising from the embassy compound in Riyadh’s diplomatic quarter early Tuesday. Black smoke was visible above the area, which houses numerous foreign missions.
The Israeli military said it was conducting simultaneous strikes on Tehran and Beirut, describing the operation as “extensive strikes” against Iranian regime targets and Hezbollah positions. Fresh evacuation orders were issued for dozens of locations in Lebanon, including parts of southern Beirut.
Hezbollah said it had launched drones toward northern Israel, while Israeli defence officials confirmed additional troop deployments to southern Lebanon. Defence Minister Israel Katz said he had authorised forces to “advance and take control of additional strategic positions in Lebanon in order to prevent attacks on Israeli border communities”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war against Iran may take “some time” but rejected suggestions it would drag on for years. “I said it could be quick and decisive. It may take some time, but it’s not going to take years. It’s not an endless war,” he told Fox News.
U.S. President Donald Trump signalled that the campaign could extend beyond the initially projected four to five weeks. He outlined four objectives for the strikes, including destroying Iran’s missile capabilities and preventing it from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
US secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington acted after learning Israel was preparing to strike Iran, arguing that pre-emptive action would reduce American casualties. "We knew that if we didn't preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties," Rubio said, adding that the "hardest hits" were yet to come.
US Central Command said American forces had destroyed IRGC command facilities, missile and drone launch sites, air defence systems, and military airfields during sustained operations. It added: “We will continue to take decisive action against imminent threats posed by the Iranian regime.”
The conflict has disrupted regional air travel, with thousands of flights cancelled and governments scrambling to evacuate stranded citizens. Limited commercial services resumed in parts of the Gulf as airlines attempted to repatriate passengers.
There was also confusion over navigation through the Strait of Hormuz after an IRGC commander threatened to “burn any ship” attempting to pass through the strategic waterway, a vital corridor for global oil and gas shipments. US officials later indicated the strait remained open.
With casualties reported across multiple countries and humanitarian concerns mounting, particularly in Gaza and Lebanon, the rapidly expanding confrontation has heightened fears of a prolonged and destabilising regional war.
