Israel Lowers Turkey Travel Warning to Moderate

By Hamodia Staff

YERUSHALAYIM – Israeli authorities lowered the travel warning for Turkey to Level 3, or moderate, after a string of Iran-backed terror attacks were thwarted in recent days.

While on its highest level, starting June 13, Israeli citizens were advised not to travel to Turkey, and those already there were urged to leave immediately.

Under the current Level 3 warning, Israelis are still advised to avoid all non-essential travel to Turkey.

“It’s a return to the situation we knew several weeks ago,” said Yossi Adler, senior director for Intelligence at National Security Council, quoted by The Times of Israel.

But that situation is still far from safe, as indicated by advisories still in place.

Israelis are being asked to avoid publicizing details of upcoming trips to Turkey and photos while they are still in the country; to avoid wearing any clothes that could indicate they are from Israel; and to refrain from giving personal details to and having unnecessary contact with strangers.

A senior security official told reporters on Friday that the Mossad and Turkish intelligence agents had prevented three Iranian attacks targeting Israeli civilians in Istanbul in recent days.

The security official said Mossad intelligence had led Turkish authorities to 10 members of an Iranian cell who were allegedly planning to kidnap and murder a former Israeli ambassador to Turkey and his wife. The 10 were arrested Thursday, the official said.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkey’s security forces for foiling the plots against Israelis in the country.