The United States has ordered non-essential government staff and their families to leave its consulate in Adana and urged American citizens to depart southeastern Türkiye due to heightened security risks.
In a notice issued March 9, 2026, the US Department of State said the move affects personnel at the U.S. Consulate General in Adana, located near the strategic Incirlik Air Base, a key NATO military installation in southern Türkiye.
“On March 9, 2026, the Department of State ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and US government employee family members to leave Consulate General Adana due to the safety risks,” the US Embassy in Ankara said in a statement.
The embassy also urged American citizens currently in the region to leave as soon as possible.
“Americans in southeast Türkiye are strongly encouraged to depart now,” the advisory said.
The consulate in Adana has suspended all consular services, with Americans in need of assistance advised to contact the US Embassy in Ankara or the US Consulate General in Istanbul instead.
The announcement came a day after Washington renewed its travel advisory for Türkiye on March 8. While the overall advisory level did not change, the US State Department warned of heightened risks in certain regions of the country.
The advisory urged travelers to “exercise increased caution” when visiting Türkiye due to risks related to terrorism, armed conflict and arbitrary detentions.
It also specifically warned against travel to southeastern parts of the country, citing the possibility of militant attacks and cross-border hostilities.
“Do not travel to southeast Türkiye due to risk of terrorism and armed conflict,” the advisory stated.
The warning comes amid heightened regional tensions and security concerns along Türkiye’s southern borders with Syria and Iraq, areas that have experienced sporadic violence involving militant groups and military operations in recent years.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded to a recent missile attack targeting Turkish territory, saying Ankara would not be provoked into escalating tensions.
“We will not fall into the traps they want to drag us into,” Erdogan said in remarks reported by Turkish media.
“We will build the Century of Turkey. We will defeat all conspiracies and overcome every obstacle.”
Earlier Monday, Turkish authorities also scrambled six F-16 fighter jets over the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus following reports of a potential security threat, according to regional media.
Separately, concerns about civilian casualties are mounting elsewhere in the Middle East as the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah intensifies in Lebanon.
The United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF, said at least 83 children had been killed and 254 injured in Lebanon since March 2.
“On average, more than 10 children have been killed every day across Lebanon over the past week, with approximately 36 children injured each day,” UNICEF said in a statement published Monday.
The agency said the conflict has also forced nearly 700,000 people from their homes, including about 200,000 children, adding to tens of thousands already displaced by earlier escalations.
“These figures are staggering. They are a stark testament to the toll that conflict is taking on children,” UNICEF said.
The agency urged all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, including schools and shelters, and to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.
