US restricts staff in Israel from traveling outside cities as Iran attack threat persists

The U.S. State Department is restricting travel for government employees and their family members outside of major cities in Israel as concerns remain high Friday that Iran could attack at any moment in retaliation for an Israeli airstrike that destroyed the Iranian consulate in Syria.

The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has posted a message on its website saying "Out of an abundance of caution, U.S. government employees and their family members are restricted from personal travel outside the greater Tel Aviv (including Herzliya, Netanya, and Even Yehuda), Jerusalem, and Be’er Sheva areas until further notice."

It added that "the security environment remains complex and can change quickly depending on the political situation and recent events."

On Wednesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei promised to retaliate against Israel -- saying "it will be punished" -- for an airstrike that demolished Iran’s consulate in Syria earlier this month. Khamenei said the strike in Damascus, which left several Iranian generals dead, was "wrongdoing" and akin to an attack on Iran itself.

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State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller, when asked about the new U.S. travel advisory Thursday, said "we have seen Iran making public threats against Israel in the past few days."

"Israel's in a very tough neighborhood and have been monitoring the security situation. You saw us slightly adjust our travel warnings at the beginning of this conflict. And we conduct ongoing assessments all the time about the situation on the ground," he continued.

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