Alerts cite ‘regional tensions’ as Washington weighs strike on regime; UK shuts Tehran embassy; Lufthansa group says it will limit flights to Israel so crew won’t have overnight stay
By ToI Staff and AgenciesToday, 9:46 am
Screen capture of a US Embassy in Jerusalem security alert on travel to Israel, issued January 15, 2026. (US Embassy Jerusalem)
The US and the UK issued warnings on Thursday against travel to Israel, as tensions spiraled over the Iranian regime’s lethal crackdown on protests in the country and amid indications an American strike on the Islamic Republic could be imminent.
US President Donald Trump repeatedly warned, as demonstrations grew, that the regime’s use of deadly force against protesters would lead to American intervention. With thousands now reported dead, US military action has for several days been seen as imminent.
Iran has threatened that if the US attacks, it will target Israel as well as US bases in the region.
The US Embassy in Jerusalem published a new security alert advising American citizens that “given ongoing regional tensions,” they should “review any travel plans in case of disruptions, and make appropriate decisions for themselves and their families.”
The UK Foreign Office also issued a new travel advisory for Israel, warning British citizens to avoid visiting the country for “all but essential travel.”
“There is a heightened risk of regional tension. Escalation could lead to travel disruption and other unanticipated impacts,” the advisory said.
And several countries have put out warnings for their citizens to leave Iran, including the UK, India, Italy, Spain, and Poland. Last week, Australia told its citizens to leave the country “as soon as possible” due to the “volatile” security situation.
Meanwhile, Britain shut its embassy in Tehran and withdrew its diplomats.
The UK Foreign Office said Wednesday that “we have temporarily closed the British Embassy in Tehran, this will now operate remotely.”
It said British staff had been withdrawn “due to the security situation.”
Dozens of Pakistani students studying in Iran returned home through a remote southwestern border crossing, a Pakistani immigration official said Wednesday.
Mudassir Tipu, Pakistan’s ambassador to Iran, said Tuesday that Iranian universities had rescheduled exams and permitted international students to leave the country.
Further afield, the US Embassy in Kuwait said it had ordered a “temporary halt” on personnel traveling to multiple military bases in the small Gulf Arab country.
In Qatar, some personnel had been told to leave the Middle East’s largest US base. The precautions at Al Udeid were “in response to the current regional tensions,” Qatar’s International Media Office said.
In Saudi Arabia, the US embassy told staff and American citizens “to exercise increased caution and limit non-essential travel to any military installations in the region.”
Also, the French embassy in Bahrain asked citizens to be especially vigilant due to the “security situation in Iran and its potential local repercussions,” in a statement on social media.
The US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, which oversees the region, is based in Bahrain, which also hosts a British naval facility.
Iran closed its airspace to commercial flights for several hours on Wednesday, before reopening it for travel.
The Lufthansa Group said Wednesday it will operate only daytime flights to and from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport in the coming days, citing the “current situation in the Middle East.”
The group — whose carriers include SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings — said it “has decided to operate flights to and from Tel Aviv and Amman from Thursday, January 15 as day flights until and including Monday, January 19, 2026.”
“This means that crews will fly back directly without an overnight stay on site,” a Lufthansa representative said in a statement. “Some flights may also be canceled.”
“Additionally, Iranian and Iraqi airspace will be bypassed by all Lufthansa Group Airlines until further notice,” the airline said.
The Lufthansa Group said it was “monitoring the situation closely and will continue to assess the situation in the coming days. Affected passengers will be automatically rebooked and proactively contacted.”
Trump has been openly threatening to intervene in Iran for days, though without giving specifics. The Iranian protests began as economic rallies on December 28, but rapidly ballooned into mass anti-regime demonstrations.
On Wednesday, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said that at least 2,571 people had been killed and more than 18,100 had been arrested in the more than two weeks of protests. Israel’s Mossad spy agency is said to believe the death toll is more than twice as high. An Iranian-linked opposition site has claimed it has evidence of over 12,000 dead.
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