State Department advises all Americans overseas 'to exercise increased caution' in worldwide alert

The US State Department on Thursday advised all US citizens worldwide "to exercise increased caution" due to "increased tensions in various locations around the world, the potential for terrorist attacks, (and) demonstrations or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests."

The issuance of the worldwide caution alert is a significant message amid protests that have erupted throughout the Middle East in response to the Israel-Hamas war, with many demonstrators targeting US diplomatic compounds.

State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said Thursday that "we take a number of factors into consideration when making that determination" to issue a worldwide alert.

"It's not necessarily any one thing but everything that we're watching around the world," he said at a State Department briefing.

In the past week, the State Department has raised the Travel Advisory for Lebanon and Israel to the highest level and has authorized non-emergency US government personnel and family members to depart. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent a cable to diplomatic posts worldwide ordering them to undertake emergency security reviews, CNN reported Wednesday.

The State Department last issued a worldwide alert in August 2022 in the wake of the killing of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, warning that "supporters of al- Qa'ida, or its affiliated terrorist organizations, may seek to attack U.S. facilities, personnel, or citizens."

The notice issued Thursday advises US citizens abroad to "stay alert in locations frequented by tourists" and to enroll in the State Department's "Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive information and alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency overseas."