US State Department Sends Out 'Worldwide Caution' Alert to Americans
US State Department Sends Out 'Worldwide Caution' Alert to Americans
The US State Department issued a rare worldwide alert.
THE EPOCH TIMES
Jack Phillips
OCT19, 2023
The U.S. State Department on Thursday issued a worldwide alert to Americans overseas due to the potential for terrorist attacks, coming in the midst of heightened tensions in the Middle East due to the Israel–Hamas conflict.
"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," the alert said.
It then advised U.S. citizens to remain alert in locations frequented by tourists, enroll in the agency's travel program, and follow the agency on social media to receive alerts and updates. Other details were not provided.
The issuance of the rare worldwide alert bulletin comes amid demonstrations and riots across the Middle East in response to the conflict in Israel. Many demonstrators this week have targeted U.S. embassies and other compounds.
Also this week, the State Department raised the travel alert for both Israel and nearby Lebanon to Level 4, or its highest level. The U.S. embassy in Beirut also allowed non-emergency personnel and family members to depart Lebanon and Israel.
The Embassy in Beirut, meanwhile, urged U.S. citizens to leave "as soon as possible" while commercial flights and other options are still available. The embassies for France, Canada, Australia, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom have issued similar bulletins, according to reports.
“If you have not already done so, please complete the crisis intake form to provide contact information should we need to reach out to you on short notice,” the embassy said in a bulletin that was sent out to American citizens in the broader Middle East region. “Please also be aware that the U.S. government has authorized the departure of family members of U.S. government personnel and some non-emergency personnel on a case-by-case basis from Mission Israel and Lebanon.”
That same U.S. embassy bulletin also noted that for Americans in Israel, flights out of Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv are limited. The U.S. State Department is facilitating flights out of the country and is urging “those wishing to leave to take advantage of these charters while they are available,” it said, adding that departures will continue until at least Oct. 22.
Americans in Gaza, however, are faced with a more dire situation as U.S. officials are trying to work on possible means to depart the region for citizens trapped there.
“We have U.S. government officials working 24/7 to try to assist,” the bulletin said. “If you have not already done so, please complete the crisis intake form to provide contact information should we need to reach out to you on short notice.”
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden visited Israel and said that a deadly blast at a Gaza Strip hospital appeared to be from "an errant rocket fired by a terrorist group," and he pledged support to Israelis and humanitarian assistance to suffering Palestinians.
Flying home from Tel Aviv, the president told reporters he had been blunt with the Israelis about the need to support getting aid to Palestinians in Gaza.
"Israel has been badly victimized but the truth is they have an opportunity to relieve suffering of people who have nowhere to go … it's what they should do," he said during a refueling stop for Air Force One at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
President Biden praised Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for agreeing to open the Rafah border crossing to allow 20 trucks carrying humanitarian aid into Gaza and pledged the United States would get people trapped in Gaza out. "We're going to get people out," he said without offering details.
The president traveled to Israel to offer U.S. support in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack on Israeli villages and military bases by Gaza-based Palestinian Hamas gunmen who killed 1,400 people and took about 200 hostages, Israel has said.
His trip was upended by a deadly explosion at Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital on Tuesday evening. Palestinian officials blamed it on an Israeli air strike. Israel said the blast was caused by a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group, which denied blame.
"Based on the information we've seen to date, it appears the result of an errant rocket fired by a terrorist group from Gaza," President Biden said. "The United States unequivocally stands for the protection of civilian life during conflict and I grieve ... for the families who were killed or wounded by this tragedy."
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Reuters contributed to this report.
Jack Phillips is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times based in New York. He covers breaking news.