No excursion “until further notice”.
US Embassy restricts staff travel to Israel
April 19, 2024, 9:53 a.m
The US government is temporarily banning its embassy employees in Israel from any private travel outside major cities. The country is reacting to reports of alleged rocket attacks by Israel on Iran. Australia and Berlin are also tightening general travel warnings.
Following reports of Israeli attacks in Iran, the US Embassy in Israel has asked its employees and their families to avoid traveling within the country. As a precautionary measure, U.S. government employees and their families are prohibited from traveling outside the major cities of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Beersheba “until further notice,” a security alert on the U.S. Embassy website said.
The order refers to travel “for personal reasons” and particularly affects northern Israel on the border with Lebanon. Since the beginning of the war between Israel and the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas, there have been almost daily battles between Israeli soldiers and fighters from the Hezbollah militia, which is allied with Hamas and supported by Iran. The US embassy also warned US citizens in the country to be cautious. “The security situation remains complex and can change quickly,” the embassy warned.
Australia and Berlin are tightening travel warnings
Meanwhile, Australia called on its nationals in a stricter travel advisory to leave Israel and the Palestinian territories if possible. The Foreign Ministry referred to the “high risk of retaliatory military attacks and terrorist attacks.” Australia had previously recommended that people avoid traveling to Israel and the Palestinian territories if possible and that they leave the country if they have any concerns.
“Military attacks could lead to airspace closures, flight cancellations and diversions as well as other travel disruptions,” the ministry warned in the stricter travel advisory. Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport could “cease operations at any time and at short notice” due to a deterioration in the security situation.
The Foreign Office in Berlin is also warning against traveling to Israel and the Palestinian territories. The office urgently recommends that German nationals who are in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank leave the country.