TEHRAN, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday issued an evacuation warning for several oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

In a statement, the IRGC said facilities, including the Samref refinery in Saudi Arabia and the Al-Hosn gas field in the UAE, could become "direct and legitimate targets" and may be struck in the coming hours.

The statement urged residents and personnel in surrounding areas to leave immediately and move to safe locations without delay.

It said that prior warnings had been issued to the leaders of the countries concerned, urging them not to pursue what it described as a "dangerous course of action or risk the well-being of their populations."

Earlier on Wednesday, several Israeli media reported that the Israeli air force has struck Iran's major natural gas facility, located in Bushehr in the south of the country. ■