2024-04-14 12:39:29
Several countries and international airlines announced, on Saturday, that they had taken precautionary measures, in anticipation of a possible Iranian strike on Israel, as the routes of some flights were temporarily changed, while countries prevented their citizens from traveling to Tehran, Tel Aviv, and other regions in the Middle East.
On Friday, Israel entered a state of alert in anticipation of an attack from Iran or its agents, with increasing international warnings about Tehran’s response to an attack earlier this month that targeted the Iranian consulate building in Damascus, which resulted in the killing of 7 officials, most notably Mohammad Reza Zahedi, commander of the Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon. In addition to six other officials.
Travel warnings
In turn, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised its citizens “not to travel to Iran, Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian territories.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on the “X” platform, “The relatives of diplomats residing in Iran will return to France, and that it has become prohibited for French civil servants to carry out any tasks in Iran, Lebanon, Israel, and the Palestinian territories.”
Poland also advised its citizens, in an updated travel directive, not to travel to Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Lebanon.
The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement: “A sudden escalation of military operations cannot be ruled out, which may cause great difficulties in leaving these three countries,” adding: “Any escalation may lead to significant restrictions on air traffic and the inability to pass land border crossings.”
For its part, the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs banned its citizens from traveling to Iran and Israel, until further notice, due to what it described as “the prevailing situation in the region.”
The ministry stated in its statement that Indians in the two countries must follow “the maximum precautionary measures for their safety, and restrict their movements to a minimum.”
Earlier, the United States prevented its employees in Israel and their family members from traveling for personal purposes outside the greater Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Beersheba areas.
The US embassy said in a security warning on its website, Thursday: “Out of an abundance of caution, US government employees and their family members are prohibited from traveling for personal purposes outside the greater Tel Aviv areas (including Herzliya, Netanya, and Even Yehuda), Jerusalem, and Beersheba until further notice.”
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also advised its citizens to refrain from traveling to the Middle East, especially Israel, Lebanon, and the Palestinian territories.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “It is very important now for everyone to exercise restraint, so that this does not lead to a complete destabilization of the situation in a region that is unstable and unpredictable.”
Change of flight path
By air, the Australian airline Qantas said on Saturday that it had temporarily changed the route of its flights between Perth and London, due to concerns related to the Middle East, with increasing expectations of an Iranian attack on Israel.
A company spokesman said: “We are temporarily adjusting our flight routes between Perth and London. Due to the situation in some parts of the Middle East (…) we will contact customers directly, if there are any changes in reservations.”
The company noted that “no flights between Perth, the capital of the state of Western Australia, and London have been postponed or cancelled, but the flight path has been modified to pass through Singapore.”
Last updated: April 13, 2024 – 22:14
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2024-04-14 12:39:29