US restricts staff travel amid threat in Israel
THE United States has blocked travel outside of a restricted zone for all its staff in Israel amid growing fears of an imminent major attack by Iran.
The US embassy in Israel said staff had been told not to venture outside the greater Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or Beersheba areas “out of an abundance of caution”.
Employees were placed on high alert for an anticipated Iranian retaliation to the recent air strike on its consulate in Syria.
Attack
President Joe Biden warned that Iran was threatening to launch a “significant attack”.
An Iranian news agency published an Arabic report on X saying all airspace over Tehran had been closed for “military drills”, before deleting it and later denying it had been published.
US state department spokesman Matthew Miller said he would not disclose the “specific assessments” behind the travel restrictions.
He added: “Clearly we are monitoring the threat environment in the Middle East and specifically in Israel.”
As tensions mount, German airline Lufthansa on Thursday extended a suspension of all flights to Tehran until today.
Iranian-backed groups have increased attacks across the region since Israel launched its assault on Gaza in response to a Hamas attack on October 7 that killed 1,200 people.
Senior Iranian military figures were among the 13 killed in the attack in Damascus on April 1.
Israel has not confirmed it was behind the missile strike on Damascus, but the Pentagon has said it was.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel “must be punished and it shall be” for the attack, which killed seven members of the Revolutionary Guards Corps.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Israel would respond if Iran attacked the country and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, said America would stand with them against any threats.