Israel warns citizens against travel to high-risk countries amid Iranian threats
National Security Council notes Jewish sites are ‘preferred targets’ for terrorists, advises Israelis everywhere to be careful as Tehran vows revenge for terror leaders’ deaths
The National Security Council has warned Israelis against travel to some 40 countries that have been designated at moderate or high threat level, and called on Israelis elsewhere to take extra precautions, including avoiding displays of Israeli or Jewish identity, in advance of an expected Iranian response to several assassinations earlier this week.
“Following recent events, Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas (alongside other terrorist factions) have declared their intentions to take revenge for the death of Hamas’s political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, and of the head of Hezbollah’s strategic unit, Fuad Shukr,” the council said in a statement online, published in both English and Hebrew.
Israel assassinated Shukr on Tuesday, days after a Hezbollah rocket attack killed 12 young people in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights. Haniyeh’s death, which came just hours later in Tehran, was widely attributed to Israel as well, though it has not claimed responsibility for it.
In its statement on Wednesday, the National Security Council noted, “It is possible that [Iran and its proxies] will retaliate against Israeli/Jewish targets abroad, such as embassies, synagogues, Jewish community centers, etc,” noting that institutions such as “Chabad houses, kosher restaurants and Israeli businesses” are “preferred targets for terrorist factions.”
Iran and its proxies have previously targeted Jewish institutions for terror attacks abroad, including bombing a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1994, killing 85 people and wounding more than 300. The attack is believed to have been directed by Iran and carried out by Hezbollah.
“In addition, there is mounting concern that the escalation will increase motivation among global Jihad organizations and lone wolf terrorists to attack Israelis in various countries around the world,” the National Security Council added.
The council recommended Israelis planning to visit countries with level 3 or 4 travel alerts “seriously reconsider” their plans, while Israelis in “all other destinations” exercise extra caution.
Protective measures include “remaining alert in public places… avoiding openly displaying signs of your Israeli or Jewish identity, avoiding large events that are not secured by local authorities and staying away from demonstrations and protests,” the council said.
