The US State Department issued a sweeping advisory on March 2, urging all American citizens across 14 Middle Eastern countries to "depart now via commercial means due to serious safety risks."

The advisory covered Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the UAE and Yemen. Americans needing assistance were directed to contact the State Department on a 24-hour hotline.

The announcement comes as the US embassy in Riyadh was attacked earlier on March 3, as Iran continues to hit US facilities across the region following the US and Israel's strikes on Tehran, killing the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28. 

Separately, the US embassy in the UAE evacuated all staff over fears of further missile and drone attacks, Tasnim reported on March 3, citing the Lebanese outlet Al Ahd.

The report said the evacuation followed a direct missile strike on the embassy building.

The State Department advisory came on the same day the US Embassy in Jerusalem said it was unable to evacuate or directly assist American citizens seeking to leave Israel, instead directing them to shuttle services operated by Israel's Ministry of Tourism to the Taba border crossing with Egypt.

The US embassy in Kuwait has also closed, while the embassy in Riyadh was struck by two drones on March 3, causing a fire and minor damage to the compound.

The widening evacuation orders reflect the scale of the regional crisis triggered by the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, which has drawn Gulf states, Iraq and Lebanon into an expanding conflict.

Iranian retaliatory operations have targeted US military and diplomatic facilities across the region.