The US has issued security alerts for its citizens across the Middle East, warning of further escalation between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.

The notices cover Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Oman.

”Americans currently in the Middle East should exercise heightened vigilance and be aware of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions,” the US State Department said on Saturday night.

”Iranian-supported Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including civilian airports. This military conflict has the potential to escalate rapidly,” the notice read, urging Americans to refrain from traveling to the Middle East.

”Iran and groups supportive of Iran may target other US interests overseas or at locations associated with the United States and Americans throughout the world, including U.S. businesses and other institutions,” it added.

The alert came amid anticipation of potential new US strikes on Iran or Houthi targets in Yemen, as Saudi Arabia reportedly sought assistance in repelling the militant group’s offensive against forces of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.

Axios reporter Barak Ravid said that US President Donald Trump had cut short his weekend stay at Camp David and would return to the White House on Saturday evening, one day earlier than planned. 

CNN national security analyst Alex Plitsas cited sources as saying that Trump held a meeting at Camp David to “deliberate and review Yemen strike options.” ABC News previously reported, citing US officials, that Washington would limit its involvement to providing intelligence and targeting assistance to Saudi Arabia.

In recent weeks, the Houthis have expanded the territory they control in western Yemen, capturing the port city of Mokha and Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key shipping chokepoint connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.

Saudi Arabia recently suspended operations on its East-West oil pipeline, also known as Petroline, after it was damaged in a drone attack that Riyadh blamed on Iran-backed militias in Iraq. The pipeline carries crude from the kingdom’s eastern oil fields to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.

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