US orders non-emergency staff to leave consulates in Pakistan’s Lahore, Karachi

The US government has ordered non-emergency personnel and their families to leave its consulates in Pakistan's cities of Lahore and Karachi due to safety risks, an official statement said Wednesday.

There was no change, however, to the status of the US Embassy in Islamabad, according to an updated travel advisory.

The decision comes amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East as the US and Israel continue airstrikes on Iran that were launched on Feb. 28, killing its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and 786 others, including scores of school girls.

Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile attacks targeting US-linked sites in Gulf countries, causing multiple fatalities. Six US service members have been killed and many others injured.

"There has been an ongoing threat of drone and missile attacks from Iran and significant disruptions to commercial flights," said the US travel advisory.

Pakistan has witnessed deadly anti-US demonstrations since the killing of Khamenei.

At least 25 people, including a security officer, were killed in the federal capital Islamabad, Karachi and nothern Gilgit-Baltistan region on Sunday.

Earlier, the US Embassy in Pakistan announced temporary closure of its consulate in Peshawar, northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.