State Department warns against travel to Israel, West Bank and Gaza
The State Department is warning against travel to Israel, the West Bank and Gaza amid the conflict between Iran and Israel.
In a travel advisory on its website, the department warned travelers not to go to Israel "due to armed conflict, terrorism, and civil unrest,” to avoid the West Bank "due to terrorism and civil unrest” and to stay away from Gaza "due to terrorism and armed conflict.”
“Terrorist groups, lone-actor terrorists and other violent extremists continue plotting possible attacks in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. Terrorists and violent extremists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, and local government facilities,” the State Department said in the advisory.
“The security environment is complex and can change quickly, and violence can occur in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza without warning. Increased regional tensions can cause airlines to cancel and/or curtail flights into and out of Israel,” it added.
The conflict between Israel and Iran stretched into its fourth day Monday, and President Trump has said “it’s possible” that the U.S. gets involved in the fighting.
“We’re not involved in it. It’s possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment involved,” Trump told ABC News over the weekend.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday his country was close to “eliminating the nuclear threat and eliminating the missile threat” from Iran.
The new conflict between Israel and Iran is also taking place as leaders from around the world, including Trump, meet in Canada for a Group of Seven summit.