Visiting the Middle East Is at Your Own Peril

It’s not just Iran and Iraq that are unsafe right now for U.S. tourists and citizens in the wake of the American airstrike that killed Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani at Baghdad’s international airport Friday.

The U.S. State Dept. is issuing advisories and twitter updates, warning of potential problems not only in the Middle East but in diverse places such as Italy and India.

Right now, the U.S. has Level 4 travel advisories – do not travel to – for Iran and Iraq. The State Dept. has advised all citizens and tourists to leave those two countries immediately.

Israel and Jordan are at Level 2, which calls for increased caution and vigilance.

But the State Dept. has also tweeted about Italy and India.

https://twitter.com/TravelGov/status/1213856267107733506?ref_src=twsrc^tfw” rel=”nofollow

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Those were just several tweets the State Dept. issued cautioning Americans in places such as Bahrain, Morocco, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait to maintain “a high level of vigilance” and “good situational awareness.”

“Any of those places in the Middle East, I would have a heightened level of concern,” Tim Bradley told MarketWatch. Bradley is a managing partner of IMG GlobalSecur, a Tavares, Fla., a firm advising companies, nongovernmental organizations and mission groups on safe travel across the globe.

Bradley also said your own instincts will help.

“If you don’t feel comfortable somewhere, it’s time to leave,” he said.