The issuance of the worldwide caution alert is a significant message amid protests that have erupted throughout the Middle East in response to the Israel-Hamas war, with many demonstrators targeting US diplomatic compounds.
State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said Thursday that “we take a number of factors into consideration when making that determination” to issue a worldwide alert.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent a cable to diplomatic posts worldwide ordering them to undertake emergency security reviews, CNN reported Wednesday.
The State Department last issued a worldwide alert in August 2022 in the wake of the killing of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, warning that “supporters of al- Qa’ida, or its affiliated terrorist organizations, may seek to attack U.S. facilities, personnel, or citizens.”
The notice issued Thursday advises US citizens abroad to “stay alert in locations frequented by tourists” and to enroll in the State Department’s “Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive information and alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency overseas.”
Brown said the threat of escalation “isn’t just confined to the Middle East,” but could also spread to Europe as anger over the Israeli government’s actions towards Gaza grows.
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