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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Asharq Al-Awsat

France, Netherlands Issue Warnings to Citizens in Middle East

Protesters demonstrate over the US airstrike in Iraq that killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 3, 2020. AP

France urged its citizens in Iran on Friday to stay away from public gatherings and the Netherlands told Dutch nationals to leave Baghdad after the killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in Iraq.

Washington had earlier told US citizens to leave Iraq, after Tehran threatened retaliation for the US strike that killed Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force and architect of Iran's spreading military influence in the Middle East, Reuters reported.

"Three days of mourning have been declared after the death of General Soleimani. In this context, we recommend French citizens to stay away from any gatherings and to behave with prudence and discretion and abstain from taking pictures in public spaces," France's embassy in Tehran said on Twitter.

A US air strike killed Soleimani and the deputy chief of the Popular Mobilization Forces, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in Baghdad, Reuters reported.

The Dutch Foreign Ministry also told Dutch citizens to leave Baghdad "if that is possible in a safe manner."

"Unrest and violence have increased in Baghdad, and around the airport. The situation is unpredictable," the Dutch ministry said in a statement.

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