The US Department of Homeland Security has issued a warning of a “heightened threat” of attempted terrorist attacks inside the country following US strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities.
“The Israeli-Iranian conflict creates the possibility of an increased threat to the homeland in the form of possible cyberattacks, acts of violence, and anti-Semitic hate crimes,” US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said. At the same time, the warning notes that there are no specific actual threats “against the homeland” yet.
The warning expires on 22 September, the statement said.
Earlier, the US State Department released a global message on potential threats to American citizens due to the armed conflict between Israel and Iran.
According to the warning published on the department’s website, the conflict has already led to transport disruptions and periodic airspace closures in the Middle East. Demonstrations against U.S. citizens and interests are also possible abroad, it said. The State Department is urging Americans around the world to exercise extra caution.
The website also published detailed instructions for US citizens who would like to leave Iran or Israel.
The messages come after the US launched several strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities on the night of 22 June, which President Donald Trump said “destroyed” key Iranian nuclear sites.
These strikes are not mentioned in the US agencies’ warnings, only the Iran-Israel conflict. The State Department issues such global warnings relatively rarely, the last time it did so was in October 2023, following the attack on Israel by Hamas, a group recognised as a terrorist group in the US and EU.
The day before, two Pentagon sources and a senior White House official told NBC News that the Trump administration is preparing for a potential response from Iran to nuclear strikes, and the next 48 hours are of particular concern.
The reporters’ interlocutors said it was not yet clear whether the response to U.S. bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities would be directed at foreign or domestic U.S. facilities or both at once.