State Department Urges Americans to Leave Middle East Now
Smoke plumes billow following Israeli bombardment on Beirut's southern suburbs on March 2.
Photographer: Ibrahim Amro/AFP/Getty Images
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By
Eric Martin,
March 3, 2026 at 6:10 AM GMT+7, Updated on March 3, 2026 at 8:48 AM GMT+7
Takeaways by Bloomberg AIHide
- The US State Department urged Americans to leave countries across the Middle East, citing "serious safety risks" from the war with Iran.
- The US Embassy in Riyadh came under an attack from two drones, resulting in "limited fire and minor material damage to the building".
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the department's top priority is the safety and security of American citizens, and urged Americans to register with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program and follow security updates.
The US State Department urged Americans to leave countries across the Middle East, citing “serious safety risks” from the war with Iran.
The security update, posted Monday on X by Assistant Secretary of State for consular affairs Mora Namdar, told Americans to “depart now via commercial means.”
The call came hours before the US Embassy in Riyadh came under an attack from two drones, according to Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense, which said the assault resulted in a “limited fire and minor material damage to the building.” Soon after the first confirmed incidents on Tuesday morning in Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter, where the US embassy is based, residents reported hearing loud bangs in the capital, suggesting more activity.
In a video posted on his own X account, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the department’s top priority is the safety and the security of American citizens. Rubio condemned the “cowardly attacks” by Iran against other countries in the Persian Gulf, and said that the department since the start of the military campaign on Saturday has surged personnel and resources to help US citizens with safety and security information.
Rubio urged Americans to register with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program and follow security updates via the department’s WhatsApp channel and social media.
President Donald Trump said that the bombing campaign that began Saturday would continue after the US-Israeli alliance struck hundreds of targets across Iran.
Even still, Rubio said on Monday before briefing congressional leaders that the objective of the US campaign was to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities — and that it can be achieved without using ground forces, “the hardest hits are yet to come.”
