Indians in Israel asked to stay vigilant amid escalating tensions in Middle East

Tel Aviv: The Indian embassy here on Friday advised all Indian nationals in Israel to stay vigilant and adhere to the safety protocols as advised by the local authorities following the escalating tension in the region following the back-to-back assassination of two senior Hamas leaders and a top Hezbollah commander.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran; head of Hamas' military wing Mohammed Deif was killed in Gaza, and Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur died in a strike in Lebanon in quick succession last month.

Israel has been threatened by multiple countries and groups with severe consequences and Haniyeh’s death just increased the risk of a dangerous escalation in the sensitive region.

“Please exercise caution, avoid necessary travel within the country and stay close to safety shelters. The Embassy is closely monitoring the situation and remains in regular touch with the Israeli authorities to ensure the safety of all our nationals,” the Embassy of India said here in the advisory.

The advisory, posted on all social media platforms of the Embassy, and issued in English, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada, also gave contact details such as telephone numbers [phone] and [phone] along with the email address [e-mail] for 24X7 help “in case of any emergency”.

Air India cancelled its Delhi-Tel Aviv flights on Thursday until August 8.

Some 10 international airlines have done the same despite assertions by the Israeli authorities that its air space is “absolutely safe.” The advisory by the Indian mission in Israel comes a day after the Indian Embassy in Beirut on Thursday strongly advised Indian nationals against travelling to Lebanon till further notice. It also advised them to leave Lebanon.

The situation had already been fragile since October 7 last year, when Hamas militants launched an unprecedented attack on Israel killing more than 1,200 people, prompting a quick retaliation by Israel that has continued as of date and seen more than 36,000 Palestinians dead. On the other hand, violence had flared across the Lebanon border between Israeli troops and Hezbollah almost immediately after the Hamas attack.