US securing military, charter flights to evacuate Americans from Middle East: Official

The US State Department is securing military and charter flights to evacuate Americans from the Middle East, an official said Tuesday.

"We've been in direct contact with nearly 3,000 Americans abroad," Dylan Johnson, assistant Secretary of State for global public affairs, said on US social media company X.

Earlier, the department urged Americans to depart from several countries in the Middle East, citing "serious safety risks."

In a security update released Monday, the department listed Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the occupied West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen as locations affected.

Since Saturday morning, Israel and the US have carried out strikes on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and many top security officials.

Iran, in response, launched drone and missile attacks on Israel and US assets in the region, prompting many Gulf states to close their airspace.