Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) released a statement on Thursday warning Israelis leaving for travel abroad to be aware of the threat of being the targets of terrorist attacks. The NSC calls for increased awareness. The statement includes a travel warning to Turkey, Morocco, Egypt (including Sinai), and Jordan, and instructions to obscure any obvious signs of their Israeli identities.
"In recent years, threats against Israelis abroad have been identified to be rising, especially since the beginning of the Gaza war, due to the increased motivation of various terrorist elements around the world to carry out attacks. This includes the Iranian threat, alongside Hamas and global Jihad elements, which increasingly promote attacks against Israelis and Jews abroad," the NSC’s statement read.
The council noted that there have been numerous plots to attack Israeli targets that had been foiled. The potential terrorist threat against Israelis and Jews has been exceptionally high for over five months since the beginning of the war."
Iran and the Shiite Axis
Iran remains the central perpetrator of global terrorism. In recent years, Iran has expanded its activity to target Israeli citizens and Jews worldwide, both directly and via its proxies.
Dozens of Iranian attempts to target Israelis and Jews worldwide have been exposed and thwarted in recent years. In 2021, an Iranian-aligned terror cell attempted to murder Israeli businessmen in Cyprus, with similar incidents taking place in Colombia, Turkey, and Georgia in 2022, and in Greece and Cyprus in 2023, alongside Hezbollah activity in Latin America.
Furthermore, since the beginning of the Gaza war, Iran has increased its efforts to carry out attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets worldwide.
It should be noted that Iranian terrorist elements continue their attempts to make contact with Israeli citizens, in Israel and abroad in an attempt to carry out an abduction or attack.
Hamas
There has been a significant increase in motivation and activity by Hamas to carry out attacks against Jews and Israelis abroad since the war in Gaza began. In December 2023, Hamas cells were exposed in several countries in Northern Europe, which planned to target Israeli assets in Sweden and Germany.
Global Jihadist elements: Various radical Islamist Jihadist organizations continue to promote and execute attacks in different locations worldwide. For example, on March 22, Islamic State terrorists carried out a massive attack in Moscow, resulting in the deaths of over 100 people. Several weeks earlier, Russian security forces thwarted an Islamic State attack against a synagogue in Moscow.
These terrorist organization and their supporters increased their calls to carry out attacks against Jews and Israelis worldwide in recent months. The main threat in Western countries comes from individual attackers, inspired by these organizations, who may carry out attacks against Israelis and Jews. These potential attackers could be riled further by the war in Gaza and incitement against Israel prevalent in recent months.
Antisemitism and the Far Right
Alongside radical Islamic threats, there has been a significant increase in incitement against Israel and Jews in recent months alongside a significant rise in antisemitic incidents in countries including France, Germany, the UK, the U.S., Canada, and Australia.
A Jew was murdered in Los Angeles, an Israeli embassy worker was stabbed in China, a Jewish woman was stabbed in France, an Israeli journalist was attacked in Berlin, and there were several shooting incidents at Jewish properties in Canada, among other violent incidents across Europe.
Jewish communities are also a major target for far-right bodies, with religious institutions and communities being preferred targets on holidays and festivals.
According to Israeli law, Israelis aren’t allowed to travel to enemy countries (Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Iran), even for those carrying dual citizenship.
the NSC’s statement added, "The public is required to carefully consider the destination of their travels, the level of urgency in traveling to countries with a moderate to high warning level (levels 3 and 4), and in any case, to take caution when traveling abroad.”
The NSC added that travel warnings don’t apply for connection flights, except for those in enemy countries (Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Yemen) and countries with a high warning level (Libya, Algeria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Somalia).
The Eurovision Song Contest will take place in May in Malmo, Sweden, considered a pro-Palestinian stronghold. An Israeli official dealing with worldwide terror threats said on Thursday that he recommends Israelis traveling to the Eurovision not to reveal their Israeli identity there.
“Malmo is a city with many hostile elements. We're not saying not to go there, but whoever goes shouldn’t display their Zionism, so it's best not to wander around with Israeli flags, as it could create issues including street fights."
However, the source noted there were currently no specific alerts of terrorist elements targeting Israelis in Sweden. In general, the official advised Israelis traveling abroad not to highlight their Israeli identity. "You can speak Hebrew with each other, but there's no need to shout to other family or friends who are far away."