The US embassy in Lisbon on Saturday issued a security alert to US citizens in Portugal over rising tension in the Middle East following the death of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad.
In the alert, broadcast online, the US diplomatic mission in the Portuguese capital points out that “increased tension in the Middle East could result in increased security risks for US citizens abroad” and advises Americans in Portugal to maintain a discreet posture, redouble their attention in places frequented by tourists, review personal security plans and keep travel documents current and accessible.
The Embassy says it will continue to monitor the security situation and will provide additional information if necessary.
The commander of Iranian elite Al-Quds force Qassem Soleimani died Friday in an air raid on Baghdad international airport that the Pentagon said was ordered by the President of the United States.
The attack came three days after an unprecedented two-day assault on the US embassy that only ended when Trump announced the deployment of another 750 troops to the Middle East.
The attack has already sparked a number of reactions, with four of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – Russia, France, the United Kingdom and China – alerted to the inevitable escalation of tensions in the region and urging the parties to reduce the tension. The fifth permanent member of the UN Security Council is the United States.
In Iran, the feeling is revenge, with the President and the Revolutionary Guards assuring that the country and “other free nations in the region” will take revenge on the United States.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, also vowed to avenge the general’s death and declared three days of national mourning, while the head of diplomacy called the death “an act of international terrorism”.
On the Iraqi side, the resigning Iraqi Prime Minister, Adel Abdel Mahdi, warned that this assassination would “trigger a devastating war in Iraq” and the great Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the leading figure in Iraqi politics, considered the assassination of Qassem Soleimani. an unjustified attack “and” a blatant violation of Iraqi sovereignty. “
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