US media: US officials say the threat from Iran has hit its highest level since the start of the war, with some embassies beginning to downsize staff.

According to a New York Times report, U.S. officials said Friday local time that intelligence indicates Iran’s attack plans targeting Americans have entered the final stages. The U.S. government has ordered personnel across the Middle East to raise alert levels and is beginning to downsize staff at its local embassies and consulates. Intelligence agencies warned Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the same day, alerting him to security risks facing U.S. State Department employees in the Middle East and other regions; the Trump administration subsequently confirmed the memo. U.S. officials said intelligence assessments show threats targeting Americans in the Middle East and several other countries have reached their highest level since the outbreak of the war in February. Trump and his senior aides receive regular briefings on the matter. Over the past three weeks, analysts have been reviewing threat intelligence targeting U.S. officials, including ambassadors; some materials indicate Iran may have deployed operatives inside the U.S., and its plans also involve potential targets in Europe. However, another official noted that Iran has limited capability to carry out attacks in the U.S. and other overseas regions, with its attack intentions outweighing its operational capacity. (Jin10)