Israel urges citizens to leave Sri Lanka surfing resort area amid terror threats
National Security Council advises travelers to leave Arugam Bay area, or at least retreat to capital city, shortly after US embassy also warns of credible info on imminent attack
The National Security Council called on Israelis Wednesday to leave Sri Lanka’s Arugam Bay area and other beaches in the island’s south and west immediately, citing terrorism threats.
“Those leaving these areas are advised to leave the country or at least to the capital Colombo, where there is a high presence of local security forces,” said the NSC.
Israelis should postpone travel to the rest of the country, the warning continued. They were also urged to hide signs that indicate they are Israelis and avoid gathering in large numbers.
Israel said it was in close contact with Sri Lankan authorities.
The US Embassy in Sri Lanka said earlier it had “received credible information warning of an attack targeting popular tourist locations” in eastern Arugam Bay, prompting the island nation’s police to pledge more security for tourists.
The warnings came after social media posts called for a boycott of Israeli-owned businesses in the area.
Protests by local Muslim groups against Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon have drawn support from the wider community in the predominantly Buddhist South Asian nation.
The war broke out following Hamas’s October 7 onslaught last year, which saw terrorists kill some 1,200 people in Israel and kidnap 251. The Lebanese terror group Hezbollah has been firing at Israel on a near-daily basis since the following day.
Israelis accounted for less than 1.5 percent of the 1.5 million tourists who visited the island in the first nine months of this year — or around 20,000 people altogether.
But Arugam Bay, a hotspot for surfing around 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of Colombo by road, is a popular destination for Israeli tourists.
Following the US embassy warning, local police said they were unveiling a new security plan to protect tourists.
“In view of the war situation in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, the police together with intelligence agencies are working on a plan to protect tourists and resorts,” they said in a statement.
It did not give details, but said a hotline had been established for tourists to alert authorities of any safety concerns.
There have been no attacks in Sri Lanka since the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 279 people, including 45 foreign nationals.
The coordinated attack against three luxury hotels and three churches was blamed on a local jihadist group that pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.
Tourism numbers fell sharply afterwards, and took another hit during a 2022 economic meltdown that precipitated widespread civil unrest.
But foreign visitor numbers have picked up after an International Monetary Fund bailout last year helped stabilize the economy.
Israel has issued travel warnings to several countries amid rising antisemitism and a surge in alerts of potential terror attacks targeting Jews and Israelis since the October 7 massacre.
