OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — Israel's Foreign
Minister Yair Lapid on Monday urged citizens in
Türkiye to leave "as soon
as possible" over threats that Iranian operatives are actively planning
attacks on Israelis in Istanbul.
اضافة اعلان
The stark warning comes amid the latest
surge in tensions between
Iran and Israel, with Tehran blaming Israel for a
series of attacks on its nuclear and military infrastructure, inside Iran but
also inside Syria.
Lapid made no mention of any alleged Israeli
operations against Iranian targets.
But, he said, Israelis in Türkiye faced
"a real and immediate danger" from Iranian agents, citing
"several Iranian attempts at carrying out terror attacks against Israelis
on holiday in Istanbul".
"If you are already in Istanbul, return
to Israel as soon as possible," Lapid said in a public warning.
"Do not fly to Türkiye at all,"
unless such travel is "essential", the foreign minister urged
Israelis.
Travel warning upped
Hours after his statement, Israel's National
Security Council raised its travel warning for Istanbul to the highest level.
"Given the continuing nature of the
threat and in light of the increased Iranian intentions to attack Israelis in Türkiye,
especially Istanbul, the National Security Council has raised the travel
warning for Istanbul to the highest level, Level 4," NSC said in a
statement.
The NSC noted that other parts of Türkiye
remained at the intermediate threat Level 3, stressing there was no prohibition
on using the Istanbul airport as a connecting hub for flights, "provided
that one does not leave the airport".
Iran and Israel have been engaged in a
years-long shadow war but tensions have ratcheted up following a string of
high-profile incidents Tehran has blamed on Israel.
The Islamic republic claimed Israel was
responsible for the killing of Revolutionary Guards Colonel
Sayyad Khodai, who
was shot dead outside his Tehran home on May 22.
The Guards described him as a "defender
of the sanctuary", a term used for those who work on behalf
of Iran in Syria or Iraq and vowed to avenge his assassination by
"Zionists".
Israel also launched air strikes last week
on the
Damascus International Airport, which caused major damage two runways.
While Israel rarely comments on individual
strikes, it has acknowledged carrying out hundreds in
Syria, which Israel’s
military says is necessary to prevent Iran from gaining a foothold on its
doorstep.
Earlier Monday, Israel's public broadcaster
Kan claimed that Iranian operatives had planned to kidnap Israelis in Türkiye a
month ago.
The plot was thwarted after Israel alerted
Ankara about the threat.
Türkiye has consistently been a popular
holiday destination for Israelis, including through more than a decade of
diplomatic rupture between the two countries.
Ankara and Israel have mended ties in recent
months, with senior Turkish leaders citing the importance of Israel to Türkiye's
tourism sector.
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