Americans in many Middle Eastern countries are now being advised to depart immediately for safety reasons after the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday.

“Depart now via commercial means due to serious safety risks,” is the messaging for Americans as of 4 p.m. EST on March 2 from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the State Department, shared on X.

The post on X told Americans to contact and follow the State Department at the following numbers and sites:

• From abroad: 1-202-501-4444
• From the US and Canada: +1-888-407-4747
• Enroll in http://step.state.gov for security updates

On Tuesday afternoon, a State Department spokesperson said the agency was “actively securing military aircraft and charter flights for American citizens who wish to leave the Middle East.”

“We’ve been in direct contact with nearly 3,000 Americans abroad,” assistant secretary of state for global public affairs Dylan Johnson wrote on X. “American citizens should call 1-202-501-4444 for assistance with departure options.”

The list of countries and territories Americans are being urged to depart from immediately is as follows: Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

The notice urging Americans to depart comes as airspaces in a large swath of the mentioned countries remain closed for commercial flights.

What embassies in the Middle East are telling Americans

Multiple US embassies in the Middle East told Americans they are unable to help them leave countries they are advised to evacuate from.

The US Embassy in the United Arab Emirates said in an update on Tuesday that “the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi and Consulate General in Dubai are closed, and services cannot be provided in those facilities until further notice.”

“For now, please do not approach the embassy or consulate for any reason.”

The “depart now” messaging comes after the US initially issued shelter-in-place advisories for countries including Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon.

US embassies in Middle Eastern countries were explicit about the potential danger of remaining in and traveling to the region. The US Embassy and Consulate in Iraq told US citizens: “Do not travel to Iraq due to terrorism, kidnapping, armed conflict, civil unrest, and the U.S. government’s limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Iraq. Do not travel to Iraq for any reason. Leave now if you are there.”

Others, such as Jordan, carried the advice to reconsider travel to the country due to terrorism and armed conflict. The US Embassy in the UAE told Americans to “reconsider any plans to travel to or transit through the UAE.”

“At this time, we encourage Americans to consider departing the UAE if they believe they can do so safely,” it added.

The US government is sharing updates from its respective embassies (including its virtual Iranian embassy) on X.

Travel advisories were also issued for countries neighboring the Middle East. The US Embassy and Consulates in Pakistan said on Monday that the US Consulate General in Peshawar temporarily suspended operations, while the embassy in Islamabad continued to provide all routine or emergency consular services for US citizens.

“Due to continued disruptions and traffic diversions around the U.S. Consulates General in Karachi and Lahore, both have canceled all appointments for U.S. visas and American Citizen Services on Tuesday, March 3. The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad will resume normal consular operations on Tuesday, March 3,” it said.

The movements of US government personnel were limited throughout Pakistan, and US citizens were advised to avoid areas of large public gatherings; review their personal security plans; check local media and emails for updates; keep a low profile; carry identification; and cooperate with police.

Airports and airspace updates across the Middle East

After Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar closed their airspaces over the weekend, some flights from the Middle East resumed on Monday, including from Abu Dhabi and Dubai, albeit somewhat chaotically.

All flights at Dubai International and Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International were suspended on Saturday, and limited services resumed on Tuesday. DXB continues to instruct travelers not to come to the airports unless their flight has been confirmed.

Etihad and Emirates both told Business Insider that their scheduled commercial flights remain suspended until at least Thursday, but that they would try to run some repatriation and cargo flights in the days prior.

King Abdulaziz International Airport in Saudi Arabia continued to tell passengers not to travel to the airport at this time and to contact their respective airlines for flight updates. Hamad International Airport in Doha said all aircraft movements had been suspended due to the temporary closure of Qatari airspace.

On Tuesday, Abu Dhabi Airports said access to the airports were restricted to travelers with a confirmed ticket, and whose airlines had explicitly advised them to travel.