Israel advises travelers to exercise extra vigilance for Iranian threats

Concerns were voiced in Jerusalem on Thursday, Dec. 3, that Iran may be planning to hit Israeli targets in such places as the UAE, Bahrain, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey or semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as parts of Africa. Israeli travelers were advised to exercise extra vigilance and avoid crowded places, unsecured locations and government centers. Thousands of Israelis are currently vacationing in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and around a hundred flights to those destinations are scheduled for next week. The heightened risk follows the killing of Iran’s top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh last month.

PM Binyamin Netanyahu referred for the first time this week to Iran’s attribution of the scientist’s assassination to Israel, saying “They always blame us, whether it is correct or not; so have some people in the United States. Our policy is never to respond to events relating to Iran and I am sticking to it.”

The anti-terror authority also warned that Jewish institutions around the world, especially in Europe, are under threat from the Islamic State terrorists. ISIS has just called on its followers to attack Israelis and Jews and their institutions worldwide during the coming festival season. The targets specified include synagogues, kosher restaurants, Jewish museums and Israel’s diplomatic missions.