- Written by Christy Cooney
- bbc news
image source, Getty Images
The United States has restricted employee travel to Israel due to concerns about attacks by Iran.
The US embassy said its staff had been instructed not to travel outside the Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Beersheba areas “out of an abundance of caution.”
Iran accused Israel of attacking its consulate in Syria 11 days ago, killing 13 people, and vowed to retaliate.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron called Iran's foreign minister and urged him not to escalate further.
Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack on the consulate, but it is widely believed to have been behind it.
Iran supports the Palestinian militant group Hamas in its fight against Israel in Gaza, as well as various proxy groups across the region, including some groups that frequently carry out attacks against Israelis, such as Lebanon's Hezbollah.
Those killed in the consulate attack included a senior commander of Iran's elite Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon, as well as other military personnel.
The attack comes amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to prevent the war in Gaza from spreading across the region.
US President Joe Biden warned in a speech on Wednesday that Iran was threatening to launch a “serious attack” and vowed to provide “ironclad” support to Israel.
Eric Kurilla, the commander in charge of U.S. operations in the Middle East, traveled to Israel to meet with officials about security threats.
The Pentagon said the visit had been scheduled for some time but was brought forward “due to recent developments.”
“We have made it clear that Iran must not drag the Middle East into a wider conflict,” Prime Minister Cameron said after speaking by phone with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdullahian.
“We are deeply concerned about the potential for miscalculations that could lead to further violence.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with the foreign ministers of China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey and insisted further escalation was in no one's interest.
It is unclear what form a retaliatory strike would take and whether it would come directly from Iran or through Iranian proxies.
On Sunday, Iranian officials warned that the Israeli embassy was “no longer safe” and suggested the consulate building could be a target.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told his US counterpart that “any direct attack by Iran” on Israeli territory “requires an appropriate Israeli response to Iran.”
Asked Thursday about the travel restrictions, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller declined to provide a “specific assessment” behind them, but said: “We are monitoring the threat environment in the Middle East, particularly in Israel. It's clear,” he added.
The UK Foreign Office also updated its travel advisory for Israel, saying the country's government had “raised the possibility of an attack by Iran on Israeli territory, and such an attack could trigger a wider escalation.” Stated.
Since the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, the Foreign Ministry has warned against travel to large parts of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
German airline Lufthansa has extended the suspension of flights to Iran's capital Tehran until Saturday.
In October, armed groups killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages after infiltrating Israel from Gaza.
Israel has announced that at least 34 of the 130 hostages remaining in Gaza have died.
More than 33,000 Gazans, mostly civilians, were killed in subsequent Israeli attacks on Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
