Terror threat to Israelis abroad at all-time high, says outgoing counter-terror chief

The threat of terrorism to Israelis abroad has never been higher, the outgoing head of the government’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau, Nitzan Nuriel, warned on Thursday.

In an interview on Army Radio, he said that Iran operates “a unit whose sold objective is to carry out terror attacks abroad,” and hinted that orders to do so are increasing in frequency.

Nuriel cautioned Israelis to take every measure possible to guarantee their safety while traveling abroad and to heed travel warnings.

His warning came a day after the IDF instructed troops on leave not to publicize travel plans on their Facebook pages.

Nuriel resigned his position after an anonymous letter criticizing his competency reached the desk of National Security Council chief Yaakov Amidror. He denied, however, that the letter was the reason for his resignation.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the appointment of Nuriel’s replacement, Eitan Ben-David, a former senior Shin Bet official.