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The United States has intercepted instructions from Iran to militants in Iraq calling on them to attack the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and other American interests in the event of a strike against Assad, it was reported today.
The American embassy in Baghdad was a likely target, according to unnamed U.S. officials quoted by the Wall Street Journal. The Journal said the officials did not describe the range of potential targets indicated by the intelligence.
The Journal reported that the Iranian message was intercepted in recent days and came from the head of the Revolutionary Guards’ Qods Force. The newspaper said the message went to Iranian-supported Shi’ite militia groups in Iraq.
The Journal reported that the message informed Shi’ite groups to be prepared to respond with force after any U.S. military strike on Syria.
A U.S. state department warning issued on Thursday warns “against all but essential travel” to Iraq, citing “the security situation” in the country.
“The ability of the Embassy to respond to situations in which U.S. citizens face difficulty, including arrests, is extremely limited,” the State Department warning said. “U.S. citizens in Iraq remain at high risk for kidnapping and terrorist violence.”
On Friday, the U.S. State Department also ordered nonessential U.S. diplomats to leave Lebanon due to security concerns as the Obama administration and Congress debate military strikes on neighbouring Syria.
In a new travel warning for Lebanon, the department said it had instructed nonessential staffers to leave Beirut and urged private American citizens to depart Lebanon.
The step had been under consideration since last week, when President Barack Obama said he was contemplating military action against the Syrian government for its alleged chemical weapons attack last month that the administration said killed more than 1,400 people near Damascus.
“The potential in Lebanon for a spontaneous upsurge in violence remains,” the department said.
The U.S. closed 19 embassies and consulates across Africa and the Middle East last month for more than a week after a terrorist threat. Hezbollah, an Assad ally that has sent fighters into Syria, is based in Lebanon.
The department also said that Hezbollah “maintains a strong presence in parts of the southern suburbs of Beirut, portions of the Bekaa Valley and areas in South Lebanon.”
“The situation remains tense, and sporadic violence involving Hezbollah or other extremist or criminal organizations remains a possibility in many areas of the country,” it said.
“The U.S. Embassy advises U.S. citizens that clashes between Lebanese authorities and criminal elements have also recently occurred in other areas of the Bekaa and border regions,” the statement said.
In a separate advisory for Turkey, the department advocated a policy of voluntary withdrawal of people, saying that its diplomatic outpost in Adana “has been authorized to draw down its non-emergency staff and family members because of threats against U.S. government facilities and personnel.” The department said it was recommending that U.S. citizens “defer non-essential travel” to southeastern Turkey.
The American embassy in Baghdad was a likely target, according to unnamed U.S. officials quoted by the Wall Street Journal. The Journal said the officials did not describe the range of potential targets indicated by the intelligence.
The Journal reported that the Iranian message was intercepted in recent days and came from the head of the Revolutionary Guards’ Qods Force. The newspaper said the message went to Iranian-supported Shi’ite militia groups in Iraq.
The Journal reported that the message informed Shi’ite groups to be prepared to respond with force after any U.S. military strike on Syria.
A U.S. state department warning issued on Thursday warns “against all but essential travel” to Iraq, citing “the security situation” in the country.
“The ability of the Embassy to respond to situations in which U.S. citizens face difficulty, including arrests, is extremely limited,” the State Department warning said. “U.S. citizens in Iraq remain at high risk for kidnapping and terrorist violence.”
On Friday, the U.S. State Department also ordered nonessential U.S. diplomats to leave Lebanon due to security concerns as the Obama administration and Congress debate military strikes on neighbouring Syria.
In a new travel warning for Lebanon, the department said it had instructed nonessential staffers to leave Beirut and urged private American citizens to depart Lebanon.
The step had been under consideration since last week, when President Barack Obama said he was contemplating military action against the Syrian government for its alleged chemical weapons attack last month that the administration said killed more than 1,400 people near Damascus.
“The potential in Lebanon for a spontaneous upsurge in violence remains,” the department said.
The U.S. closed 19 embassies and consulates across Africa and the Middle East last month for more than a week after a terrorist threat. Hezbollah, an Assad ally that has sent fighters into Syria, is based in Lebanon.
The department also said that Hezbollah “maintains a strong presence in parts of the southern suburbs of Beirut, portions of the Bekaa Valley and areas in South Lebanon.”
“The situation remains tense, and sporadic violence involving Hezbollah or other extremist or criminal organizations remains a possibility in many areas of the country,” it said.
“The U.S. Embassy advises U.S. citizens that clashes between Lebanese authorities and criminal elements have also recently occurred in other areas of the Bekaa and border regions,” the statement said.
In a separate advisory for Turkey, the department advocated a policy of voluntary withdrawal of people, saying that its diplomatic outpost in Adana “has been authorized to draw down its non-emergency staff and family members because of threats against U.S. government facilities and personnel.” The department said it was recommending that U.S. citizens “defer non-essential travel” to southeastern Turkey.