Courtesy of JNS. Photo credit: Greeker/Pixabay
(JNS) — The U.S. Embassy in Qatar called on American citizens in the Gulf state to shelter in place “until further notice” in a security alert on Monday.
The alert was issued “out of an abundance of caution,” according to the U.S. State Department, which did not provide any additional information.
A spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, Majed al-Ansari, said that warnings were issued by “a number of embassies” on Monday, adding that the recommendation to shelter in place does “not necessarily reflect the existence of specific or credible threats” in the country.
The alerts were issued against the background of “the general policies adopted by various countries regarding travel guidance & security updates for their citizens around the world,” Ansari claimed.
“We would like to reassure the public that the security situation in the State remains stable,” he said. “The competent authorities are closely monitoring the situation and remain fully prepared to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety & security of citizens, residents & visitors.”
On Sunday, the State Department ordered the evacuation of nonemergency government personnel and family members from Lebanon due to the regional security situation.
The notice urged U.S. citizens to “continue to exercise caution and encourage them to monitor the news for breaking developments.”
A U.S. official told The New York Times on Monday that military and intelligence officials in Washington had detected signs of Iran-backed militias preparing to attack U.S. assets in Iraq and possibly Syria.
The U.S. military on Saturday struck three nuclear sites across Iran in what U.S. President Donald Trump said was an attempt to “stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one state sponsor of terror.”
Tehran’s three key nuclear enrichment facilities were “completely and totally obliterated,” Trump declared following the airstrikes.
