MEA advises Indians not to travel to Iran, Israel amid escalating tensions

Amid ongoing tensions between Iran and Israel, the Ministry of External Affairs issued a travel advisory to Indian citizens on Friday and asked them to refrain from travelling to both countries until further notice.

The ministry further asked people who are currently in Iran or Israel to contact Indian embassies and register themselves.

“In view of the prevailing situation in the region, all Indians are advised not to travel to Iran or Israel till further notice. All those who are currently residing in Iran or Israel are requested to get in touch with Indian Embassies there and register themselves,” the MEA said in an official release.

Moreover, they further urged the Indians residing in these two countries to take precautions about their safety.

“They are also requested to observe utmost precautions about their safety and restrict their movements to the minimum,” the statement added.

Earlier this year, a drive to recruit more than 10,000 Indian construction workers in Israel began at the Maharshi Dayanand University in Haryana’s Rohtak.

Last week, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the first batch of people have gone to Israel under the government-to-government (G2G) agreement, stressing that the Indian government has urged the Israeli authorities to take their safety seriously.

He further highlighted that around 18,000 Indian workers are in Israel.

Earlier this month, Israel carried out numerous strikes on Iran-backed targets in Syria, often targeting weapons shipments intended for Hezbollah, a powerful Iranian proxy in Lebanon.

But the targeting of the embassy itself marks a significant escalation since embassies are considered the sovereign territory of the nations they represent, CNN reported.

Iran vowed to take revenge after Israel’s airstrike on Iran’s embassy complex in Syria, which killed at least seven officials. Mohammed Reza Zahedi, a top commander in Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), and senior commander Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi were among those killed, according to Iran’s Foreign Ministry.

Additionally, at least six Syrian citizens were also killed, Iranian state television reported.

Israel has intensified its military campaign against Iran and its regional proxies following the October 7 attack on Israel by Tehran-backed Palestinian group Hamas, which killed about 1,200 people and saw more than 200 taken hostage.