Israel warns of terror attack against Jews in Tunisia

Israeli officials warned citizens Saturday night to stay away from Tunisia, citing “concrete threats” of terror attacks against Jewish or Israeli targets in the country.

The Tunisian government quickly denied the claims, saying no such threats existed.

“Information indicates that there are plans for terrorist attacks against Israelis and/or Jews in Tunisia,” a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.

But a senior official in the Tunisian interior ministry, who asked not to be named, told AFP: “We have nothing on that. There are no threats.”

Jews of Tunisian descent were planning a pilgrimage to the island of Djerba, off the coast of Tunisia, for later this week to celebrate the holiday of Lag Ba’Omer.

The statement warned that the terror plots were centered on Israelis and Jews traveling there for the holiday, which marks the death of a mystical second-century rabbi.

Several thousand Jews from France and Israel make the trip to the island every year, where 19 people died in an attack on the ancient El Ghriba synagogue in 2002 blamed on Al-Qaeda.

There are around 1,000 Jews remaining in Tunisia.

The statement said travel to the country was under a “high concrete threat,” the second highest level of warning issued by Israel.

A worldwide travel warning issued by Jerusalem’s anti-terror bureau in late March also cautioned against travel to Tunisia, among other countries, citing the same “high concrete threat.”

The Tunisian interior ministry official insisted the police and army were ready to ensure security.

“All measures have been taken… to ensure the success of the pilgrimage to El Ghriba,” the official said.

Tunisia has been trying to reassure foreign visitors they will be safe since 21 tourists were killed in a jihadist attack on the Bardo National Museum in Tunis in March.