US locks down staff in Israel amid rising fear of Iran revenge attack

THE United States has blocked travel outside of a restricted zone for all its staff in Israel amid growing fears of an imminent major attack by Iran.

- Mark Reynolds

As diplomatic efforts intensified to prevent an escalation of hostilities in the region, the US embassy in Israel said staff had been told not to venture outside the greater Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or Beersheba areas "out of an abundance of caution".

Employees were placed on high alert for an anticipated Iranian retaliation to the recent air strike on its consulate in Syria.

President Joe Biden warned that Iran was threatening to launch a "significant attack".

An Iranian news agency published an Arabic report on the social media platform X saying all airspace over Tehran had been closed for "military drills", before deleting it and later denying it had been published.