India, March 3 -- The United States has ordered the evacuation of non-essential personnel and suspended operations at several diplomatic missions across the Middle East, as tensions linked to the widening conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran intensify across the region.

The State Department on Tuesday directed non-emergency government staff and their families to leave Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar and Kuwait, citing heightened security risks. A number of embassies have either closed temporarily or reduced services to emergency-only operations.

The embassy will be closed on March 3. In a notice to citizens, it said: "The US Embassy Beirut will be closed on March 3."

The embassy announced the cancellation of all visa appointments th...