US warns Jerusalem embassy of Iranian plots to target American officials

New U.S. security warnings were issued overnight Friday into Saturday to diplomatic missions across the Middle East, including the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, following intelligence reports of Iranian attempts to target senior U.S. government officials in the region. The warnings, also issued to U.S. missions in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain, urged American citizens to exercise heightened vigilance and prepare for flight cancellations, airspace closures and a rapid escalation in fighting.

In addition to concerns about attacks on senior U.S. officials, the warnings cited the growing threat posed by Yemen's Houthis. The alerts come amid Houthi attacks on airports and critical infrastructure in Saudi Arabia that have caused casualties and widespread disruptions. Last month, the U.S. director of national intelligence warned that Iran had significantly stepped up its efforts to target Americans abroad, with some assassination plots reaching advanced stages.

The administration has already ordered a reduction in diplomatic staffing at several of its missions in the region. The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem urged American citizens to familiarize themselves with the location of their nearest protected shelter and download Israel's Home Front Command app. The embassy also clarified that consular services in Israel were continuing to operate as usual. The Houthis, who are fighting Saudi-led coalition forces, claimed that the "Saudi enemy" had carried out a "massacre of civilians in Al-Wazi'iyah, in Taiz province, killing and wounding more than 30 civilians."

The Houthis said the attack targeted a civilian market and that eight people were wounded in addition to those killed. For its part, the Saudi-led coalition reported intercepting two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis toward Najran in Saudi Arabia. Against the backdrop of the warnings to U.S. diplomatic missions, Iran's semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported Friday that two missiles struck Qeshm Island in southern Iran. There was no immediate information on casualties or damage, Reuters reported.