Travel alert: US warns its citizens across 12 Middle East locations, including the UAE

What has happened

On 18 and 19 October 2026, US embassies issued security alerts for American citizens in 12 locations: the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Yemen and Iran. Alerts covering this many countries at once are rare.

The alerts tell US citizens to exercise heightened vigilance and to make contingency plans in advance. They warn of possible flight cancellations, airspace closures and travel disruption, linked to possible military escalation involving Iran and the Houthis in Yemen. They also warn that Iran and groups aligned with it may target US interests, businesses and institutions. In Saudi Arabia, the US Embassy cites Houthi attacks on civilian airports and infrastructure.

What it means if you are in the UAE or travelling there

The alerts are written for Americans, but flight cancellations and airspace closures affect everyone. The UK Foreign Office’s UAE travel advice, last updated on 24 July 2026, already warns that flights and airspace can close at short notice. Since 16 October, the Foreign Office has advised against all but essential travel to Saudi Arabia.

What to do

1. Check your flight directly with your airline before you set off for the airport.
2. Read your own government’s travel advice and sign up for its alerts.
3. Keep your passport and travel documents to hand.
4. Follow the instructions of local authorities.
5. Make sure family at home know your plans and how to reach you.

Do not photograph, film, share or discuss the conflict

This is the greatest legal risk to anyone in the UAE right now. When Iranian attacks began on 28 February 2026, the UAE authorities sent mass text messages warning residents not to post anything that “results in inciting panic among people”. Residents have since been encouraged to inform on friends and neighbours, and to report anyone who even mentions the attacks.

Dozens of Britons were arrested and detained under the UAE’s cybercrime and national security laws. It was not only people filming missiles. People were taken in for:

• photos or videos of strike sites, damage, fires, smoke or emergency services, including views from their own apartment or hotel window;
• footage of interceptor missiles, audio of explosions, and videos recorded in shelters or safe rooms;
• images on their phone that they had never posted or sent to anyone;
• sharing, reposting or commenting on footage someone else took, including in private WhatsApp groups, where some were reported to the police by other members of the group;
• discussing or commenting on the conflict, government policy or security matters, which UAE law can treat as a criminal offence.

Police have stopped people near affected sites and asked to go through their phones. Even firefighters and paramedics have been jailed for posting photos of fires and other emergencies. Anyone found to have caused “reputational harm” to the UAE can face fines of up to £200,000, long prison sentences and deportation.

If someone is detained

• Ask for consular access from their embassy or consulate straight away.
• Do not sign any document you do not understand, especially one written only in Arabic.
• Contact Dubai Watch in confidence at info@dubaiwatch.org.

Read more: Filming a strike in the UAE can cost you ten years

Sources

• Euronews, “US issues rare Middle East red alert warning to its citizens in the region”, 19 October 2026
• US Mission UAE, security alert, 18 October 2026
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UAE travel advice, last updated 24 July 2026
• Daily Mail, David Haigh, “Reality of the iron fist behind Dubai ‘paradise’”, 12 March 2026
• The Telegraph, “Five Britons in UAE jails for taking pictures of war”, 29 March 2026
• The Independent, “Up to 70 Britons detained in UAE over Iran attack footage”, 29 March 2026
• The Telegraph, “Expats flee Dubai over snitches in their WhatsApp groups”, March 2026

This alert is general information, not legal advice.

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