US Embassy in Tel Aviv
Photo: Reuters
US issues travel warning to Israel
American embassy in Tel Aviv bars personnel from using public transport in Israel and West Bank, requires them to obtain permission to come near Lebanese, Syrian borders.
In the wake of the terror attack in Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning and rising tensions in northern Israel, the US Embassy issued a travel warning to its personnel, barring them from using public buses in Israel and the West Bank and from coming near Israel's borders with Lebanon and Syria.
"Because of concerns about security on Israel’s northern borders, US government personnel are currently required to obtain advance approval if they wish to travel within 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) of the Lebanon border, or travel on or east of Route 98 in the Golan Heights," a statement from the Embassy said.
American visitors to Israel are advised not to use public transport in Israel and the West Bank.
Israeli tanks on the Golan Heights (Photo: EPA)
On Wednesday evening, the US condemned the stabbing attack in Tel Aviv. "We strongly condemn today's stabbings on a bus in Tel Aviv," said State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki. "There is and can be no justification for such attacks against innocent civilians."
She once again urged all sides to work cooperatively together to lower tensions, reject violence and seek a path toward peace.
The last time the United States issued a travel warning for Israel over security reasons was during Operation Protective Edge.
