WASHINGTON, March 3. /TASS/. The US Department of State has urged American citizens to immediately leave over a dozen countries in the Middle East due to the erupted escalations in the region, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar stated on Tuesday.

"The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urges Americans to depart now from the countries [listed] below using available commercial transportation, due to serious safety risks," Namdar stated on her X social network account.

Among the countries in the Middle East listed by the US state official are Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the Gaza Strip, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

The US and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, have been hit. The White House justified the attack by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats from Iran.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, elite units of the Iranian Armed Forces) announced a large-scale retaliatory operation. There were reports of missiles and drones being launched from Iran, and air-raid alert sirens sounded in the Tel Aviv area. According to the Mehr news agency, US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia were also targeted. Regional countries are closing their airspace, and airlines are suspending flights.