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The State Department issued a stark warning to Americans worldwide Sunday: watch your back. In a global security alert, officials urged U.S. citizens everywhere—especially those in the Middle East—to exercise “increased caution” as Iran-linked groups now pose an active threat to American interests across the globe, according to the State Department’s official alert posted on their website.
This isn’t just diplomatic throat-clearing. The alert comes after Iranian military spokesman Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi issued a chilling threat Friday, vowing that Tehran’s proxies would target popular tourism havens as spring break travelers flood airports, as reported by Iranian state media. Groups “supportive of Iran may target other U.S. interests overseas or locations associated with the United States and/or Americans throughout the world,” the State Department warned. U.S. diplomatic facilities have already been hit, including the embassy in Baghdad, which took a projectile strike last week.
The timing couldn’t be more deliberate. With the U.S. and Israel three weeks into military operations against Iran following the February 28 strike that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Tehran is clearly pivoting to asymmetric warfare—unleashing terror cells and proxy militias against soft civilian targets, as detailed in reports from the Associated Press. Missiles have already struck tourist hubs in Dubai and Israel, according to CNN coverage. And now American vacationers, business travelers, and expats are being told to look over their shoulders.
What does it say about the Iranian regime that its response to military pressure is threatening spring breakers? This is the same playbook we’ve seen for decades—when the mullahs can’t win on the battlefield, they target innocents. But the question for Americans planning overseas travel isn’t whether to be cautious; it’s whether the destinations on their itinerary have become hunting grounds for Tehran’s terror networks.
Providence watches over the bold.
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