Official: U.S. military, families in Mideast get security caution

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. military personnel and their families stationed in the Persian Gulf and Middle East are being advised to take security precautions in their daily routines, according to a senior U.S. military official.

The official said local U.S. military commanders throughout the region have been conducting security briefings and reviews in recent days because of the violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories, and subsequent anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli demonstrations in countries across the region. They include some of the United States' closest military allies, such as Bahrain.

Service members and their families are being advised to remember basic security precautions, such as varying their routes to work and school, traveling in small groups and using a buddy system to let others know their locations.

The official likened this to the State Department's recent warning to travelers that the region remains at a high state of tension. (Full story)

A military official who is familiar with U.S. military operations in the region said that the unrest in Israel and the regional reaction so far has led to no specific problems for the U.S. military, nor problems in support from Arab nations for the war on terrorism.

Even so, he emphasized that moderate Arab allies are telling the U.S. military about their opposition and concerns about U.S. policy. "You can't have a conversation with a GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) country without this being the first topic," he said. "The volume and the urgency is way up."