Germany issues travel warning for whole Middle East

BERLIN

Germany on Saturday tightened its travel and safety advice for the entire Middle East region following the US-Israeli attack on Iran.

According to a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry after a meeting of the German government's crisis management team, travel warnings are now in place for Israel, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. A travel warning has been in place for Iran since 2022.

The respective German diplomatic missions abroad are in contact with German citizens in the region, the ministry added. The Foreign Ministry has also taken precautionary measures for its employees stationed there.

The German government on Saturday announced that it had been informed in advance by Washington about the start of the military action in Iran and is "closely coordinating" with its European allies.

The situation is being "closely monitored and is being coordinated closely with European partners. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has also consulted with the ministers responsible for security-related issues and will hold further talks in the course of the day," it said.

Earlier, as explosions rocked Tehran and Israel announced "preemptive" strikes against Iran, US President Donald Trump also confirmed launching "major combat operations" in Iran.

"A short time ago, the United States military began major combat operations in Iran. Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime," Trump said in a video posted on his Truth Social account.

"Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world," he added.