Israel urges nationals to leave Turkey immediately over Iran attack threat

Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Monday urged citizens in Turkey to leave “as soon as possible” over threats that Iranian operatives are actively planning attacks on Israelis in İstanbul, Agence France-Presse reported.

“There is a real and immediate danger,” Lapid said. “If you are already in Istanbul, return to Israel as soon as possible. … If you have planned a flight to Istanbul — cancel. No vacation is worth your life,” he added, citing “several Iranian attempts at carrying out terrorist attacks on Israelis on holiday.”

Israel’s National Security Council warned its citizens against traveling to Turkey on May 30, citing Iranian threats of revenge for the assassination of Revolutionary Guard colonel Hassan Sayyad-Khodaei, who was shot dead at the wheel of his car by two people on a motorcycle in May.

Tehran has blamed Israel and vowed revenge for the killing

Iran’s Fars news agency published an article on May 29 profiling several Israeli businesspeople and implicitly threatening them and their families.