From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Israel issues safety guidelines to citizens attending Olympics, warning of terror threats
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
The National Security Council issues guidelines to Israelis traveling to Paris for the Olympics, warning that it believes that global jihadist and Iran-backed terror organizations “are seeking to carry out attacks on Israeli/Jewish targets around the Olympics.”
The games officially begin on Friday — though the soccer competition kicks off tomorrow — and will wrap up on September 8 with the end of the Paralympic Games.
“International events such as this represent a preferred target for threats and attacks from various terror groups, because of the potential for the wide media impact,” the NSC warns.
It points out that French authorities have arrested teen Islamic State sympathizers who planned on carrying out attacks during the Olympics.
The NSC warns travelers to avoid anti-Israel demonstrations as well.
It also stresses that Israel is not raising the warning level for France, which is classified as Level 2: Potential Threat. It recommends taking “increased precautionary measures” for such countries.
The NSC also urges Israelis at the Olympics to download the IDF Home Front Command app.
