The US State Department has given its non-emergency personnel and their families in Saudi Arabia and Oman permission to leave, the US embassies in both Gulf states said Tuesday, as Iran launches retaliatory strikes in response to US-Israeli air raids.
The department “authorized non-emergency US government employees and US government employee family members to leave” Saudi Arabia and Oman “due to safety risks,” the US embassies in Riyadh and Muscat said in advisories on their websites.
Oman, which played a mediation role in talks between the United States and Iran, has called for a ceasefire in the war. Riyadh has condemned Iranian salvos, including an attack on the US embassy in Riyadh which forced it to close on Tuesday.
The State Department has also given its non-emergency personnel and their families in Cyprus permission to leave, the US embassy said Wednesday.
The department “authorized non-emergency US government employees and US government employee family members to leave Cyprus due to the safety risks.”
Non-emergency personnel from US consulates in the cities of Karachi and Lahore and their families were also ordered to leave Pakistan due to security concerns, the department said.
It said there was no change to the status of its embassy in the capital Islamabad.
