In anticipation of Iranian threats ... alert in Washington and warnings to the Americans in Saudi Arabia and Israel

A state of alert prevails in Washington with the escalation of Iranian threats, and criticism is increasing in the Congress for President Donald Trump's decision to kill the Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, while Washington warned its citizens in Saudi Arabia and Israel about the possibility of attacks.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that Defense Secretary Mark Esber, Foreign Minister Mike Pompeo, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Millie, and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Gina Hasbel, will brief members of the Senate tomorrow, Wednesday, on the latest developments in the Iran file.

Trump had threatened a comprehensive and swift military strike against Iran if it targeted American citizens or interests, prompting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to announce yesterday a proposal for a draft resolution limiting Trump's military powers in relation to Iran.

Republican Senator Rand Paul told CNN that Trump had received bad advice killing Soleimani, saying it was now certain that Americans would be targeted with more attacks in revenge for his killing.

Paul described Soleimani’s killing as a war act that needs congressional approval, expressing his belief that there is no way out of this situation, and he described Soleimani’s killing as the end of diplomacy with Iran.

"It is foolish to think that canceling the nuclear agreement, imposing a blockade and killing a general will push Iran to crawl towards the negotiating table, in order to fulfill what Washington demands," Paul said.

For his part, Speaker of the House Intelligence Committee Adam Schiff described the decision to kill Qasim Soleimani as a provocative and dangerous, and he said in a tweet that the threat to bomb cultural sites and the use of excessive force are the actions of a president who does not have a practical approach to national security.

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On the other hand, a US State Department statement said that Secretary Pompeo received Khaled bin Salman, the Saudi Deputy Defense Minister in Washington, where they discussed Trump's decision to take decisive defensive measures to protect Americans abroad.

The statement stated that Minister Pompeo thanked his Saudi guest for his country's continued support and its work with the United States to address the threat posed by the Iranian regime.

Pompeo stressed that Washington does not seek war with Iran, nor is it committed to stopping the escalation. Pompeo also thanked the Saudi Deputy Minister of Defense for his continuous efforts to find a political solution to the conflict in Yemen.

And US media reported on Monday that the US embassy in Riyadh issued a security alert warning that "there is an increased risk of missile and unmanned aircraft attacks."

The embassy indicated that Saudi Arabia has a system of warning sirens from the civil defense, and also indicated that there may be no prior warning of a missile attack or a drone.

On the other hand, the American Embassy in Israel required its citizens to deal seriously with the sirens when they are launched, to follow the instructions of the local authorities, and to search for shelter when an attack occurs.

She added that she had given instructions to her employees and their families not to travel to areas that might be subject to missile attacks.

Israel did not issue a similar warning to the Israelis, but IDF radio announced that it was on standby.

As for the British Foreign Office, it sent a warning to its citizens in Egypt through its website, saying that the Soleimani killing resulted in increased tension in the region.

"The terrorists are likely to try to launch attacks in Egypt. There is an increasing threat of a global terrorist attack against British interests and British citizens or groups motivated by the conflict in Iraq and Syria," she added.

Earlier, Britain decided to reduce the number of employees in its embassies in Iran and Iraq to a minimum for security reasons.

The new commander of the Quds Force, Ismail Qani, had pledged that Tehran would take revenge on the United States and take steps to expel it from the region.