Foreign Ministry warns Israelis against traveling to Georgia
Ministry ups travel warning due to ongoing military conflict with Russia, asks Israelis already in Georgia to contact embassy in Tbilsi or ministry's situation room in Israel
Due to the ongoing clashes in South Ossetia and the declaration of a state of emergency in Georgia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has elevated the current travel warnings pertaining to the country.
According to the new recommendation, the ministry recommends Israelis refrain from entering Georgia and asks of citizens already in the country to call the Foreign Ministry's situation room at 972-2-5303155, or the Israeli embassy in Tbilisi.
The ministry has already called in reinforcements to aid the embassy, which has been operating in crisis mode these past several days and is in close contact with the main office in Jerusalem. The ministry said
Israel was closely monitoring the developments in Georgia and is in contact both with the country's leadership and the local Jewish community.
The ministry stressed that anyone choosing to travel to Georgia now was doing so at their own risk, though Israeli law does not forbid travel there.
Unofficial reports of casualties in South Ossetia and Georgia put the number of dead between 40 and about 2,000 since fighting erupted late on Thursday.
