Nepal's foreign ministry alerts embassies amid rising tensions in Middle East

The Nepal Foreign Affairs on Sunday alerted its missions overlooking Iran and Iraq as tensions in the region heightened following the killing of Iran's top military general Qasem Soleimani in a US-led drone strike.

The foreign office has ordered its mission in Kuwait and Pakistan to remain vigilant in the wake of rise in tensions in the Middle East and send a timely update about the situation and condition regarding the prevailing situation.

"We have ordered them to maintain vigilance and establish a proper communication channel with Nepali nationals there. They are also asked to submit timely reports on-ground situation as both the nations come under them," the spokesperson of Nepal's Foreign Affairs Ministry Bharatraj Poudyal told ANI.

Soleimani was killed last week in the drone strike authorised by US President Donald Trump which further increased tensions in the Middle East.

The US has also asked its citizens to leave in the wake of Soleimani's killing. Iran has also declared three days of mourning following the development.

Earlier today, Trump warned Iran saying that if it strikes any Americans or American assets, the US has "targeted 52 Iranian sites" and it "will be hit very fast and very hard".

Trump on Saturday had said that the killing of Soleimani was aimed 'to stop a war, not to start a war.' He also said that Soleimani was plotting attacks on US diplomats and military personnel before he was killed.

The attack came just days after Hashd members and supporters attempted to storm the US Embassy in Baghdad, in response to the air attacks against Kataib Hezbollah -- a member of the umbrella organisation that operates in Iraq and Syria.