After Israel, U.S. Issues Travel Warning to Turkey

Less than a day after Israel did so, the United States issued a warning to citizens that a terror attack targeted at Americans was imminent, and that any Americans currently in Turkey should exercise “extreme caution.”

According to the message issued Saturday, “there are credible threats to tourist areas, in particular to public squares and docks in Istanbul and Antalya. Please exercise extreme caution if you are in the vicinity of such areas. For your personal safety, we urge you to monitor local media.”

The message did not provide further information on the threats.

A day earlier, Israel issued an urgent warning to citizens who were currently in Turkey to “leave immediately.” According to the warning, there was a “concrete and high threat” of terror activity that would target Israelis, both in the country’s main cities and in tourist areas of southern Turkey. Needless to say, Israelis who are not in Turkey should stay away from the country, the warning said.

Two weeks ago, three Israelis were killed and 15 were injured in an attack on a central street in Istanbul, as a suicide bomber set off an explosion near a group of Israeli tourists. Turkish police said that the bomb was set off by a suicide bomber who was trained by IS.

Several hours after the U.S. warned its citizens about “credible threats” to tourist areas in Turkey, a small bomb left on the side of a road in central Istanbul exploded late Saturday, slightly wounding three people, Turkey’s state-run news agency reported.

The bomb, which was designed to create a loud noise, was left near an overpass in the city’s central Mecidiyekoy district, the Anadolu Agency reported. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Three people were hospitalized, but were not in serious condition, the report said.