US withdrawing some troops from key Middle East bases as precaution, US official says

The US is withdrawing some personnel from key bases in the region as a precaution given heightened regional tensions, a US. official told Reuters on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The disclosure follows remarks by a senior Iranian official who told Reuters earlier on Wednesday that Tehran had warned neighbors hosting U.S. troops that it would hit American bases if Washington strikes.

Iran issues warning in case US intervenes in protests

Tehran has warned neighbouring countries hosting US troops that it would retaliate against American bases if Washington carries out threats to intervene in protests in Iran.

Three diplomats said some personnel had been advised to leave the main US air base in the region, although there were no immediate signs of a large-scale evacuation of troops as took place in the hours before an Iranian missile attack last year.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to intervene in support of protesters in Iran, where a rights group said 2,600 people have been killed in recent days in a crackdown on one of the biggest ever protest movements against clerical rule.

According to an Israeli assessment, Trump has decided to intervene, although the scope and timing of this action remains unclear, an Israeli official said.

The three diplomats told Reuters that some personnel had been advised to leave the U.S. military’s Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar by Wednesday evening.

One of the diplomats described the move as a “posture change” rather than an “ordered evacuation”. There was no sign of a large-scale movement of troops off the base to a nearby soccer stadium and shopping mall, as took place last year in the hours before Iran targeted the base with missiles in retaliation for U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear targets.

The U.S. embassy in Doha had no immediate comment and Qatar’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.