Israel updates its travel warnings: prohibits travel to 5 countries and does not recommend 10

Jerusalem.- The National Security Council (NSC) of Israel issued this Sunday a series of recommendations for its citizens in view of the upcoming Jewish holidays and the anniversary of October 7, among which it recalls that there are five countries such as Iran, Syria or Lebanon that are prohibited from traveling to, and does not recommend doing so to another nine, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt or Jordan. In its latest assessment of "terrorist threats" for Israelis traveling abroad published this Sunday before the start of the Jewish High Holidays -New Year and Yom Kippur-, the CSN reports that it has not issued new travel warnings, but rather updated "the main trends" of said threats and "the level of threat they pose to Israelis". The NSC recommends that Israelis refrain from traveling to five countries to which, according to Israeli law, they are prohibited from doing so - Iraq, Yemen, Iran, Syria and Lebanon - as well as Saudi Arabia, where they have "limitations" for doing so. It also recommends not traveling to nine more: Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Somalia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Libya. In its report, it indicates that with the continuation of the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip "a trend towards the deterioration of violent antisemitic incidents and an escalation of measures by anti-Israeli groups has been identified, including attempts to physically assault Israelis and Jews abroad."

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And warns against the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, which "could be a significant milestone for terrorist organizations, especially for Hamas and radical Islamist groups."

This could, he adds, "encourage and motivate extremist elements to carry out terrorist attacks against Israelis or Jews abroad." The CSN cites the Iranian threat, states that the Islamist group Hamas is expanding its activities beyond Gaza to carry out attacks abroad, and warns against attackers sympathetic to the Islamic State and Al Qaeda. In this regard, remember that traveling to the Sinai Peninsula, an Egyptian territory adjacent to the Israeli borders, constitutes "a serious threat", including its Red Sea coast, a popular diving tourist site.