‘Shelter in place’ warning for Americans in Qatar after worldwide travel alert
A ‘shelter in place’ warning has been issued for Americans in Qatar until further notice, after Donald Trump ordered the bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend.
The US Embassy in Doha said it is an ‘out of an abundance of caution’ but offered no further information.
‘Out of an abundance of caution we recommend American citizens shelter in place until further notice,’ it said.
This comes less than 24 hours after a ‘worldwide caution’ alert was made for Americans travelling abroad, amid Israel’s escalatory attacks on Iran.
The US State department said in a notice on its website on Sunday: ‘The conflict between Israel and Iran has resulted in disruptions to travel and periodic closure of airspace across the Middle East.
‘There is the potential for demonstrations against US citizens and interests abroad.
‘The State Department advises citizens worldwide to exercise increased caution.’
But Dr Majed Al Ansari, advisor to Qatari prime minister bin Abdul-Rahman, said the warning ‘does not reflect specific threats’.
He added: ‘The security situation in the country is stable and the competent authorities are ready to take all necessary measures to ensure safety.’
Situated across the Persian Gulf from Iran, Qatar is home to the Al Udeid Air Base, which hosts the forward headquarters of the US military’s Central Command.
Iran has threatened US forces at Al Udeid in the past, but not after Sunday’s strike.
Qatar maintains diplomatic relations with Iran and shares a huge offshore natural gas field with them.
After the US bombardments in Iran, security officers at all US embassies and consulates had been instructed to conduct reviews of their post’s security posture and report back to the State Department by late Sunday.
It was not immediately clear if that was connected to the alert.
Is it safe to travel to Qatar?
Metro‘s Alice Murphy has looked into travel advice for Qatar after a number of airlines have cancelled their flights since the weekend.
Flights from London to Dubai and Doha have been cancelled, after a British Airways flight from London Heathrow to Dubai was diverted to Zurich on Saturday night.
All of BA’s scheduled departures from Heathrow on Sunday, including returns, were cancelled.
And this afternoon, Finnair cancelled all its flights to Doha up until June 30.
Currently, the UK Foreign Office has not advised against travelling to Qatar, but it has updated its guidance on safety in the Gulf country.
The FCDO warns of travel disruption, including snap airspace closures, as well as delayed and cancelled flights.
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