The U.S. Embassy in Qatar warned American citizens on Monday to shelter in place.
“Out of an abundance of caution we recommend American citizens shelter in place until further notice,” the embassy said in a notice posted online on Monday.
The State Department had earlier warned U.S. citizens around the world to “exercise increased caution,” after the U.S. joined Israel’s assault on Iran, bombing three of the Islamic Republic’s key nuclear sites on Saturday.
Prior to the U.S. strikes, Iran vowed that it would retaliate against if the U.S. joined the conflict.
The U.S. has a number of military bases and warships across in the Middle East, and about 40,000 military personnel stationed on them.
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Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar is the largest U.S. base in the Middle East. It was a major staging ground for U.S. military assets during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and President Trump visited troops at the facility just last month. There are some 8,000 U.S. troops based at al-Udeid.
