By Nana Karikari, Senior Global Affairs Correspondent
The United States Embassy in Baghdad issued a high-priority security alert on Saturday, instructing all American citizens to depart Iraq “immediately.” This urgent directive follows what diplomats described as “repeated attacks” conducted by Iran-aligned militias against U.S. personnel and facilities. The security environment has deteriorated sharply, prompting officials to elevate warnings for those remaining in the country.
Targeted Strikes on Diplomatic and Strategic Sites
According to official statements, the surge in violence has centered on several key locations across the country. The embassy specifically cited “indiscriminate attacks” carried out and threatened by Iran-aligned terror militias. These hostilities included a significant incident on Saturday when a drone strike hit a radar installation on the embassy compound and a missile struck a helipad inside the U.S. embassy Saturday inside the fortified “Green Zone.”
Beyond the capital, the security alert highlighted “repeated attacks” occurring in the vicinity of Erbil International Airport and the Consulate General in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. “Iran-aligned terrorist militias have attacked the International Zone in central Baghdad on multiple occasions,” the embassy wrote in a statement posted on X. While an Iraqi security official told GBC the strike hit a radar installation, no casualties were reported in that specific mission.
Operation Epic Fury and Strikes on Kharg Island
The heightened alert coincides with a massive escalation in Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign. President Trump asserted Saturday that the U.S. military had “destroyed 100% of Iran’s Military capability” and confirmed that forces had bombed the crucial oil sea port, Kharg Island, on Friday. Meanwhile President Trump and his defense secretary have touted the success of what they call Operation Epic Fury, despite the ongoing volatility.
While U.S. Central Command said the targeted strikes had destroyed multiple military facilities on the island without compromising its oil infrastructure, the strategic implications are significant. Kharg Island sits 15 miles off Iran’s southern coast and handles roughly 90 percent of Iran’s export crude oil. In a Truth Social post, President Trump wrote that “for reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the island,” but warned he would “immediately reconsider this decision” if anyone decided to interfere with the passage of ships in the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said the U.S. is “totally destroying” Iran’s regime, militarily and economically.
Trump Calls on Global Powers to Secure Vital Waterways
Writing on social media on Saturday, Trump said the U.S. bombing of Kharg Island had been internationally beneficial, saying “many countries” affected by oil disruptions would be sending war ships to work with the United States to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. The president framed the current blockade as a global crisis requiring a multilateral military response. **
“Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a Nation that has been totally decapitated,” he wrote on Truth Social. He further emphasized that “in the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water.”
Israeli Defense Forces Expand Strikes in Lebanon
The Israeli Air Force confirmed that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) completed “several” additional strike waves targeting Hezbollah in Beirut and southern Lebanon on Friday. These actions are part of the broader Operation “Roar of the Lion.” The Israeli military stated that it has been “striking headquarters of the terrorist organization Hezbollah on a broad scale, impairing the organization’s command and control capabilities, its economic situation, and the munitions at its disposal.”
The IDF emphasized its commitment to neutralizing threats from the north. “The IDF is acting forcefully against the terrorist organization Hezbollah, which chose to join the campaign and operate under the auspices of the Iranian terror regime, and will act against anyone who threatens the citizens of the State of Israel and the residents of the North in particular,” the military wrote on X.
Regional Officials Brace for a Unilateral Conclusion
A senior official in the region, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations, told GBC they expected the war to last at least another week. The official noted that Israeli leaders increasingly believe the U.S. and Israel will end the war unilaterally, without a negotiated agreement. In such a scenario, the official said, Iran and allied groups, including the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Houthi rebels in Yemen, could establish a new normal of intermittent fire at Israel, prompting repeated Israeli retaliation.
The official said that kind of tit-for-tat exchange would leave Israelis living with an intolerable “war routine” even if the intensity of the conflict fades. While Israel is not ruling out an expanded ground operation in southern Lebanon, the official described Israel as holding back so far from striking broad civilian infrastructure, largely because the U.S. sees Lebanon as a partner.
Rising Military and Humanitarian Toll
The conflict has resulted in increasing American casualties. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Friday all six crew members died when their refueling aircraft went down over Iraq. While CENTCOM confirmed the “loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” the crash brings the U.S. military death toll to 13, seven of whom have been killed by enemy fire. Eight U.S. service members have been severely injured, according to the Pentagon.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that joint U.S.-Israeli military strikes have hit more than 15,000 targets, and also injured the country’s new supreme leader. The humanitarian crisis has deepened as displacement in Iran and Lebanon reached into the millions. Officials reported more than 1,300 people had been killed in Iran and 773 in Lebanon. Israeli authorities reported 12 civilians had been killed in Israel, and two soldiers killed in Lebanon as the IDF continued Operation “Roar of the Lion” targeting Hezbollah. Both President Trump and Hegseth have also complained about negative media coverage of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran amid these reports.
Strategic Reinforcements and International Cooperation
In response to the volatility, an additional 2,200 U.S. Marines are heading to the Middle East. The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit based in Okinawa, Japan, aboard the USS Tripoli, will join an armada taking part in the war. Despite the military actions, the embassy in Baghdad remains firm: “U.S. citizens who choose to remain in Iraq are encouraged to reconsider their decision given the significant threat posed by Iran-aligned terrorist militias.” “U.S. citizens should leave Iraq now,” the embassy urged. Because commercial flights aren’t taking off and airspace is closed, citizens must depart via overland routes to Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The embassy concluded: “Do not attempt to come to the Embassy in Baghdad or the Consulate General in Erbil due to the ongoing risk of rockets, drones, and mortars in Iraqi airspace.”
As the conflict enters this critical phase, the focus of the international community has shifted toward the dual challenges of preventing a total regional collapse and addressing a burgeoning humanitarian emergency. With diplomatic channels largely replaced by military engagement, the prospect of a negotiated ceasefire remains distant. For now, the millions of civilians caught between shifting front lines and targeted strikes face an uncertain future, as the “war routine” feared by regional officials threatens to become a long-term reality for the Middle East.
