The call comes amid the war involving Iran, in which Iranian counterattacks have been directed against a number of countries in the Middle East and both military and civilian infrastructure have been affected.
The State Department now lists a total of 14 countries, including Egypt, which has so far been relatively spared from direct involvement. The others are Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The call also includes the Palestinian territories.
The State Department says Americans should leave the region using available commercial transportation, but several airports in the region are closed or have limited flights.
