US orders non-emergency government employees, family to leave Oman ‘due to safety risks’

ISTANBUL

The US on Friday ordered non-emergency US government employees and their family members to leave Oman “due to safety risks.”

The State Department Bureau of Consular Affairs urged Americans to reconsider travel to the Oman and Yemeni border area amid escalation of tensions in the Middle East.

“Following the onset of hostilities between the United States and Iran on February 28, there has been an ongoing threat of drone and missile attacks from Iran and significant disruptions to commercial flights,” it said in a statement.

Since Israel and the US launched joint attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, so far killing some 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, hostilities have escalated.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets. resulting in casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure and affecting global markets and aviation.