Don’t wear uniform on the streets, IDF instructs liaison officers worldwide

Israeli military liaison officers have been ordered not to wear the IDF uniform on public streets across the globe, underlining the army’s concern over the ongoing threat of international terror attacks.

The IDF operations branch held a special meeting after the attacks in New Delhi and Bangkok, on Monday and Tuesday respectively, and determined that officers should take extra security precautions. The liaison officers were instructed to adhere to the following orders and to pass them on to all IDF officers and soldiers abroad: be alert; avoid taxis that come to the door of a hotel; only leave your hotel in groups; and do not wear the uniform of the IDF on the street.

These orders were reported on the IDF’s official news site along with a statement by the chief of security in the operations branch, Colonel Shmulik Kalmi, who wrote that “It is completely forbidden for all IDF officers and soldiers to be in Bangkok, aside from those in transit, and they may not leave the airport.”

The Foreign Ministry has issued a milder warning to Israeli citizens in Thailand, saying extra precautions should be taken and Israeli tourists should remain alert.

The counter-terror bureau, which cancelled its warning about travelling to Bangkok on January 26, several weeks before the most recent attack, has not issued an official travel advisory to Thailand, although it has posted the ministry’s notice on its site.