U.S. Embassy in Qatar warns Americans to shelter in place as Iran and Israel exchange fire

The U.S. Embassy in Qatar warned American citizens on Monday to shelter in place.

“Out of an abundance of caution we recommend American citizens shelter in place until further notice,” the embassy said in a notice posted online on Monday.

The State Department had earlier warned U.S. citizens around the world to “exercise increased caution,” after the U.S. joined Israel’s assault on Iran, bombing three key Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday.

Prior to the U.S. strikes, Iran vowed that it would retaliate against the U.S. if it joined the conflict.

A spokesperson for Qatar’s ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement that the “advisory from a number of embassies to their citizens do not reflect the existence of specific threats.”

“The security situation in the country is stable,” the statement said, and “the relevant authorities are closely monitoring the situation and are ready to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of citizens, residents, and visitors.”

The statement said Qatari officials would “keep the public informed of any developments that require alerts or action.”

The U.S. has a number of military bases and warships across in the Middle East, and about 40,000 military personnel stationed on them. 

Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar is the largest U.S. base in the Middle East. It was a major staging ground for U.S. military assets during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and President Trump visited troops at the facility just last month. There are some 8,000 U.S. troops based at al-Udeid.