The US government may have banned laptops on certain flights - but no one knows what's going on

The US government may have banned passengers from bringing any electronic device larger than a cell phone on board certain flights to and from the Middle East and Africa.

However, no one is really sure what's going on.

On Monday, Royal Jordanian Airlines tweeted an extensive description of an electronics ban implemented by the US Government. But, the airline deleted the tweet a few hours later.

According to Royal Jordanian's deleted tweet, all electronic devices apart from cellphones and necessary medical equipment must be checked into the cargo hold with luggage.

This includes laptops, cameras, tablets, and DVD players.

The airline also indicated that the policy will go into effect on Tuesday March 21, 2017.

These changes are as a result of a security concern relating to passengers on non-stop flights from certain Middle Eastern countries, an unnamed US official told CNN's Jon Ostrower.

The source also told Ostrower that the directive is targeted at certain airports and will last only for a limited amount of time. 

In an emailed statement to Business Insider, the Department of Homeland Security wrote, "We have no comment on potential security precautions, but will provide an update when appropriate."

Business Insider reached out to the Middle East's three mega-carriers Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways. Etihad told Business Insider that it is still sorting through the issue internally and is not able to offer any details. Emirates and Qatar Airways said they would share more information once it's available.

Thus far, the only concrete evidence of the policy shift is Royal Jordanian's deleted tweet.