The advisory follows a similar warning from UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who said the situation “could deteriorate rapidly”.

Iran has vowed “severe” retaliation against Israel, which it blames for the death of Hamas chief Ismael Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday. His assassination came hours after Israel killed Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.

It is feared that Lebanon-based Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group, could play a heavy role in any such retaliation, which in-turn could spark a serious Israeli response.

The US embassy stated on Saturday that those who choose to stay in Lebanon should “prepare contingency plans” and be prepared to “shelter in place for an extended period of time”.

It said that several airlines have suspended and cancelled flights, and many have sold out, but “commercial transportation options to leave Lebanon remain available".

The Pentagon said it was deploying additional warships and fighter jets to the region to help defend Israel from possible attacks by Iran and its proxies.

The UK said it was sending extra military personnel, consular staff and border force officials to help with any evacuations - but urged UK citizens to leave the country “while commercial flights are running".

Two British military ships are already in the region and the Royal Air Force has put transport helicopters on standby.

Mr Lammy said it was “in no-one’s interest for this conflict to spread across the region”.

In April, Iran launched an air attack on Israel using 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles and at least 110 ballistic missiles.

That was in retaliation for the Israeli bombing of an Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria.

Many fear Iran’s retaliation on this occasion could take a similar form.

In a phone call with EU Foreign Policy Chief Joseph Borrell on Friday, Iran's Acting Foreign Minister Ali Baqeri Kani said Iran would "undoubtedly use its inherent and legitimate right" to "punish" Israel.

On Friday, an announcer on Iran's state TV warned "the world would witness extraordinary scenes".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Israelis that "challenging days lie ahead... We have heard threats from all sides. We are prepared for any scenario".

Israeli ministers were sent home this weekend with satellite phones in case of an attack on the country's communication infrastructure.

Tensions between Israel and Iran initially escalated with the killing of 12 children and teenagers in a strike on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Israel accused Hezbollah and vowed “severe” retaliation, though Hezbollah denied it was involved.

Days later, senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr was killed in a targeted Israeli air strike in Beirut. Four others, including two children, were also killed.

Hours after that, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran, Hamas's main backer. He was visiting to attend the inauguration of Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.

At a funeral ceremony for Haniyeh in Tehran on Thursday, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, led the prayers. He had earlier vowed that Israel would suffer a “harsh punishment” for the killing.

Meanwhile in Gaza, 10 people in a school sheltering displaced persons were killed by an Israeli strike, Hamas said on Saturday.

The Israeli military says the school in Gaza City was being used as a command centre for militants. Hamas has denied it operates from civilian facilities.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials on July 16 announced the discovery of zebra mussel larvae in the river east of Grand Junction. The mussels are nearly impossible to remove and pose an extreme risk to the critical river, its wildlife and its infrastructure, experts and state officials said.

The discovery of the mussels so far upstream on the 1,450-mile river means the species could easily spread downstream and take over large swaths of the Colorado, said Reuben Keller, a professor who studies aquatic invasive species in the School of Environmental Sustainability at Loyola University Chicago. There is no effective way to remove the mussels from a river once they are established, he said.

"Zebra mussels getting into the Colorado River is the beginnings of what could be an enormously damaging and widespread infestation," Keller said.

The Colorado River, known as the lifeblood of the Southwest, flows from headwaters in Rocky Mountain National Park to the Gulf of California in Mexico and makes modern life in the region possible. The river and its major tributaries provide drinking water and power for 40 million people, irrigate millions of acres that feed the country and provide crucial habitat for thousands of species.

Native to eastern Europe, zebra mussels obliterate ecosystems by eradicating basic food sources other species rely on. The small mussels attach to hard surfaces, like rocks, and grow in thick mats that kill plants and prevent insect life. The mussels feed on algae and stip all of it out of the water, eliminating the base of the food chain in many aquatic ecosystems. Food sources are destroyed for species that rely on aquatic vegetation, insects or algae—which is all species.

No species in the western U.S. has evolved to eat the mussels, Keller said, at least not reliably.

"They just take over all of that habitat," Keller said. "Ecologically, that's obviously problematic."

Colorado Parks and Wildlife found the first zebra mussel larva—called a veliger— on July 1 during routine testing in the Government Highline Canal, which is diverted from the Colorado River just east of Grand Junction. On July 8, CPW staff collected samples from two locations upstream of the canal diversion. They found a single veliger in each sample.

CPW staff have not yet found adult mussels, but they plan to conduct increased sampling. Slower sections of water, like pools and eddies, are more susceptible to mussel infestation, according to the agency.

Anyone who uses the river or surrounding waters needs to clean, drain and dry any watercraft or equipment, CPW spokesman Rachael Gonzales said.

"We're looking at what's next," she said. "It's going to be very difficult—if not impossible—to remove and eradicate them in a system as large and complex as the Colorado River."

While the zebra mussel is new to the river, the closely related and equally pernicious quagga mussel has established a population further downstream. Large infestations have taken root in the system's largest reservoirs—Lake Mead and Lake Powell—and caused millions of dollars in damage to dam infrastructure.

Zebra mussel veligers can be seen only with a microscope and float freely in river water. They are hardy and can travel miles before attaching to a surface, Keller said. A single female mussel can release up to a million veligers a year, he said.

The mussels multiply rapidly once they are connected to a surface and can clog pipes, drains, pumps and other water infrastructure, leading to costly and difficult repairs. When they die, their shells can obstruct motors and other moving parts of dams, boats and other machinery.

The Government Highline Canal, where the first larva was found, provides irrigation water to more than 23,000 acres of farmland in the Grand Valley. The canal, operated by the Grand Valley Water Users Association, is 55 miles long and sends water down 150 miles of pipes and irrigation systems.

"This news is devastating," Tina Bergonzini, general manager of the Grand Valley Water Users Association, said in a news release. "Having our canal and the Colorado River test positive increases the threat of this invasive species and could impact everyone in the Grand Valley. From irrigation to drinking water, the ramifications cannot be underestimated or overstated."

Bergonzini said the association will join CPW and federal officials in stepping up its efforts "to protect our infrastructure, the livelihoods of so many and water security for us all."

Biologists first discovered zebra mussels in the U.S. in 1988 in the Great Lakes region. Since then, they have spread via waterways and human transport across a huge swath of the eastern half of the country.

Larvae can spread into a new waterway by attaching to boats, boots or any other submerged objects, and then unwittingly be released later if those objects are not sufficiently cleaned.

Federal and state agencies for decades have fought to keep the mussels from spreading into the West. Data from the U.S. Geological Survey shows that since 2007, the mussels have been detected in three Western states: California, Colorado and Utah. The species failed to establish itself in Utah but survived in California.

In Colorado, the species did not take hold in Grand Lake and Pueblo Reservoir but has been established in Highline Lake at Highline State Park, northwest of Grand Junction.

CPW first found the mussels in Highline Lake in 2022 and launched a multiyear, multistep process to kill the species and stop the spread. That winter the agency lowered the lake's water level by 30 feet to freeze the mussels and then applied a copper solution to kill them.

But the mussels were found again in October 2023, and CPW planned to drain the lake to kill the mollusks.

It's possible the mussels aren't faring well in the Colorado River and the detected veligers will not establish a population, said Keller, the Loyola professor. But that scenario is highly unlikely, especially with the robust population of the quagga mussels further downstream.

"I wouldn't hold out too much hope that the species won't take off," he said.

Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki said in June that he had sent a letter to Israel calling for a cease-fire in the conflict in the Gaza Strip, while leaving an invitation to the Aug. 9 ceremony on hold due to the risk of "unexpected situations" such as protests, amid international condemnation of the country's war conduct.

At a press conference Wednesday, Suzuki said he has not seen any moves that will mitigate such risks even as the

The mayor of Nagasaki on Wednesday said Israel will not be invited to its annual peace ceremony in August commemorating the 1945 atomic bombing of the Japanese city, opting to take a different path from Hiroshima, which has asked the Middle Eastern country to join its ceremony.

Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki said in June that he had sent a letter to Israel calling for a cease-fire in the conflict in the Gaza Strip, while leaving an invitation to the Aug. 9 ceremony on hold due to the risk of "unexpected situations" such as protests, amid international condemnation of the country's war conduct.

At a press conference Wednesday, Suzuki said he has not seen any moves that will mitigate such risks even as the ceremony nears.

He said the "wrenching decision" not to invite Israel is "not a political one but is based on our hope that we want the ceremony conducted smoothly under a solemn atmosphere."

The latest development prompted Israeli Ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen to express his disappointment.

Noting that Israel has attended the ceremony "for many years to honor the victims and their families," the ambassador said on social media platform X that Nagasaki's decision is "regrettable" and "sends a wrong message to the world."

"Israel is exercising its full right and moral obligation to defend itself and its citizens and will continue to do so," he also said.

Following the surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Israel began military operations in the Gaza Strip in retaliation. But international concerns have grown over the deaths and injuries of many civilians in the Palestinian enclave, as well as the dire humanitarian situation there.

Hiroshima, for its part, has invited Israel to its Aug. 6 ceremony marking the 79th anniversary of the A-bomb attack there with a message calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.

Some residents and others have accused the Hiroshima city government of having a double standard, as Russia and Belarus have been barred from the ceremony for three consecutive years over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Nagasaki also has no plans to invite Russia and Belarus for the third straight year.

The Nagasaki mayor said he has already notified Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui of his decision, adding that the "desire to pay respects to the (atomic bomb) victims is the same."

Takeshi Yamakawa, an 87-year-old survivor of the Nagasaki bombing, said he is furious over Israel's actions but still wants all countries -- whether it be Israel, a de facto nuclear state, Russia or Belarus -- to be invited to the ceremony to "show them how cruel things happened in Nagasaki 79 years ago."

On the other hand, Shigemitsu Tanaka, the 83-year-old head of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivors Council, was against inviting representatives from countries waging armed conflicts in defiance of calls from the international community.

He also said the southwestern city should unabashedly take Israel to task over its excesses in Gaza, wondering why the mayor had to insist that the decision was not political.

"Maybe it took heed to the Japanese government and the United States," a key ally of Israel, Tanaka said.

Each year, Hiroshima and Nagasaki invite delegates from countries and regions across the world to attend their respective peace ceremonies to pray for the victims and affirm that humanity cannot coexist with nuclear arms.

The United States dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, and the second on Nagasaki three days later. Around 210,000 people -- mostly civilians -- are estimated to have died as a result of the attacks by the end of 1945. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15 that year, bringing an end to World War II.

An enormous wildfire has grown by 8 sq miles an hour (20 sq km) as it spreads across parts of northern California. The Park fire, which started on Wednesday in a suspected arson attack, has burned more than 350,000 acres of land north-east of Chico, and was only 10% contained as of Sunday morning, the state's fire agency Cal Fire said.

About 2,500 firefighters are battling the blaze, which has been fuelled by steep terrain and wind gusts.

A 42-year-old man was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of starting the fire by rolling a burning car into a gully near Alligator Hole in Butte County.

It is now the largest fire in the state this year, and has consumed an area more than 1.5 times the size of New York City’s five boroughs.

Cal Fire incident commander Billy See said the fire has been spreading at a rate of 5,000 acres an hour.

Speaking at an operational briefing, Mr See said there were almost three times the personnel fighting the fire on Saturday compared to Friday, and “we still don’t have enough”.

Scott Weese, a fire behaviourist with Cal Fire, said that there was a high fuel load in the area with an abundance of grass. “The heat signature is huge,” he told the operational briefing, adding that the fire burned through 150,000 acres yesterday. Authorities were hopeful they could use Saturday's easing of conditions to contain some of the blaze.

Wind speeds decreased and temperatures dropped by about 15F, but still hover in some areas in the low 90s (32C). Cal Fire said lower temperatures and higher humidity have reduced the spread of the blaze but it is still growing in some areas.

On Saturday, officials said the chance of fire whirls had decreased after a rare “firenado” – a swirling vortex of flames and ash formed in intense heat and high winds – was filmed twisting through bushland the day before.

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday declared a state of emergency in Butte and Tehama counties because of the Park fire.

"We are using every available tool to protect lives and property as our fire and emergency response teams work around the clock to combat these challenging fires,” he said in a statement.

At least 16 helicopters are fighting the blaze, as well as multiple air tankers dumping water from the sky when conditions allow.

The wildfire has forced mandatory evacuations in Butte, where California's deadliest blaze, the Camp Fire, killed more than 80 people in 2018.

The 400-strong population of Cohasset has already been moved as the fire burns out of control.

Cal Fire said that 134 structures had been destroyed, while 4,200 were under threat.

Officials arrested Ronnie Dean Stout, 42, and accused him of "calmly leaving the area by blending in with the other citizens who were in the area and fleeing the rapidly evolving fire" that he had set.

He is being held in jail without bail as authorities determine what charges he will face.

A woman who answered the door of the mobile home listed as his home address in Chico told the San Francisco Chronicle that prosecutors "are trying to make him the scapegoat".

“They’re saying he did it intentionally, but he didn’t. The car caught on fire,” the unidentified woman said, before refusing to answer further questions.

The Park fire is one of many currently burning across the US and Canada. The National Interagency Fire Center is currently monitoring 102 large fires in the US, mostly in states on the west coast. In Oregon, a firefighting pilot was killed in a tanker plane crash after the aircraft went missing on Thursday night.

In Canada, a large wildfire in the Jasper National Park destroyed hundreds of buildings in the town of Jasper.

Weekend conditions have improved in Jasper, with rain and cooler temperatures helping efforts to protect other parts of the historic tourism town.

The Sovereign Grant, the mechanism used to fund royal spending, will rise from over 86 million pounds ($110 million) in 2024-25 to around 132 million pounds ($170 million) in 2025-26, because of a surge in profits from the Crown Estate, a vast collection of land and property across the U.K.

Funded by the taxpayer, the Sovereign Grant is used to support the official duties of the monarch and other costs such as official travel, thousands of engagements, staff for working royals and the maintenance of occupied palaces.

It is based on a proportion of profits from the Crown Estate, which is independently run and has assets worth billions of pounds, including some of London’s most expensive real estate.

A separate report from the Crown Estate on Wednesday showed that it had generated profits of 1.1 billion pounds, or $1.4 billion.

The Sovereign Grant is funded by the taxpayer in exchange for the king’s surrender of the revenue from the Crown Estate. The royal household had been receiving 25% of the Crown Estate’s profits until it was agreed last year that the funding would be cut to 12%.

But it will still receive a significant boost in funding for 2025-26, largely due to Crown Estate profits. The report said it had seen a “year of record results driven by decades of investment in offshore wind, combined with a diverse and resilient property and land portfolio.”

Part of the funding increase will help finance the final stages of a 10-year, 369 million pound ($475 million) “reservicing” of Buckingham Palace, a project that is now in its eighth year, said the annual report about the Sovereign Grant, published Tuesday.

The king also installed solar panels at Windsor Castle and increased the use of sustainable aviation fuel for royal flights. The royal household will take delivery of two new helicopters in the coming year to replace aging aircraft, it said, noting that their use was a “key component of delivering engagements by His Majesty, as Head of Nation, and other members of the Royal Family.”

The grant is reviewed every five years, and is expected to next be reviewed through legislation in 2026-27 to keep funding for the royal family at an “appropriate” level.

In addition, the king receives income via the Privy Purse from the Duchy of Lancaster, a landed estate, while the Prince of Wales receives the net profits from the Duchy of Cornwall.

Both are independently audited, according to a research briefing on the finances of the monarchy published last week on the British House of Commons Library’s website. It added that the king also receives private income from investments and inherited wealth, which is not made public, leading some critics to suggest that royal finances are “shrouded in fog.”

While there is no legal obligation for the king to pay taxes, the British monarch, previously the late Queen Elizabeth II, and their heir has voluntarily paid income tax since 1993 on income from the duchies and earnings from personal investments, the research briefing said.

Around 600,000 pounds ($775,275) from the sovereign grant for the year 2023-24 was spent on the king’s coronation and events surrounding the historic moment, according to the breakdown of finances in the report, which spans a difficult 12 months for the royal family, when both Charles and Kate, the Princess of Wales, were diagnosed with cancer.

News of the monarchy's expected funding increase nonetheless drew backlash on social media, with Kevin Maguire, the associate editor of the left-leaning tabloid The Mirror, saying on X that there was "no cost of living squeeze for indulged King Charles."

“The Monarchy is a ripoff. King Charles getting £45m richer off backs of British people in midst of foodbanks, spiraling cost of living crisis, broken NHS, deepening child poverty etc is morally bankrupt & disgusting,” author Shola Mos-Shogbamimu said in a post on X.

For years, Britain has been plagued by a spiraling cost-of-living crisis, with real wages flatlining for a decade, leaving the U.K.'s average salary at just £29,669, or $38,000, as prices for utilities and food have soared.

Government figures show 30% of children are growing up in poverty and Britain has the worst rate of homelessness in the developed world, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The economy and inflation were among the top issues fueling the Labour Party's landslide victory in a general election this month, ending the Conservative government's 14-year rule.

Graham Smith, who leads the anti-monarchy campaign group Republic, in a statement drew a comparison with Ireland’s head of state, President Michael Higgins, who he said came at “a fraction of the cost for someone doing a similar job,” but was “elected and accountable to do it.”

“We do not owe the royals a living, we do not owe them palatial homes, private helicopter travel or lives of leisure and luxury,” he said.