What Washington is not saying about the embassy withdrawal US intelligence has warned that Iran has stepped up efforts to go after US diplomats and officials, with plots reportedly reaching "advanced stages" in the Middle East and beyond. The warning comes from an internal memo written by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The memo was also copied to CIA Director John Ratcliffe. He did not name specific targets or detail what the plots involved, but Clayton suggested declassifying the intelligence so Rubio could share it with a wider group of State Department personnel who might be at risk. The memo came right after the Foreign Office said it was cutting staff at four embassies. Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. All four remain open but are now operating under "limited operations". "Three US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that threats from the Houthi rebels of Iran and Yemen were directly behind the personnel changes. Publicly, however, the State Department only cited threats by the Houthis and did not mention Iran's intent to US personnel. Earlier this week, non-essential staff and family members in Saudi Arabia had already been ordered to leave. US officials have strongly denied that any of this is related to possible new US-Israeli strikes on Iran. The Houthis' fear is rooted in a real escalation. Since early October, Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport has been hit repeatedly, including an attack that killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 300, with the Houthis claiming responsibility. The UN Security Council condemned the escalation, and the attacks revealed gaps in Saudi air defense while disrupting a major air corridor between Europe and Asia. US intelligence officials fear that if Washington is drawn deeper into the conflict, the Houthis could begin targeting other countries in the region that host US assets, not just Saudi Arabia.

What Washington is not saying about the embassy withdrawal US intelligence has warned that Iran has stepped up efforts to go after US diplomats and officials, with plots reportedly reaching "advanced stages" in the Middle East and beyond. The warning comes from an internal memo written by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The memo was also copied to CIA Director John Ratcliffe. He did not name specific targets or detail what the plots involved, but Clayton suggested declassifying the intelligence so Rubio could share it with a wider group of State Department personnel who might be at risk. The memo came right after the Foreign Office said it was cutting staff at four embassies. Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. All four remain open but are now operating under "limited operations". "Three US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that threats from the Houthi rebels of Iran and Yemen were directly behind the personnel changes. Publicly, however, the State Department only cited threats by the Houthis and did not mention Iran's intent to US personnel. Earlier this week, non-essential staff and family members in Saudi Arabia had already been ordered to leave. US officials have strongly denied that any of this is related to possible new US-Israeli strikes on Iran. The Houthis' fear is rooted in a real escalation. Since early October, Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport has been hit repeatedly, including an attack that killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 300, with the Houthis claiming responsibility. The UN Security Council condemned the escalation, and the attacks revealed gaps in Saudi air defense while disrupting a major air corridor between Europe and Asia. US intelligence officials fear that if Washington is drawn deeper into the conflict, the Houthis could begin targeting other countries in the region that host US assets, not just Saudi Arabia.