The Foreign Office has today issued an urgent warning to anyone travelling to 18 countries – including some holiday hotspots. Anyone who has gone to places like Egypt, Morocco, Dubai, Cyprus and Turkey have been told they need to take extra care.
In an urgent update UK government officials have issued alerts to anyone going to Cyprus, Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, The Occupied Palestinian Territories, Israel, Libya, Iran, Lebanon, and Syria.
In the wake of the Israeli attacks on Iran today the Foreign Office says travellers should be alert to the risk of regional escalation of violence. The Foreign Office adds: ”Your travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).”
Officials added: “Ongoing hostilities in the region and between Israel and Lebanon could escalate quickly and pose risks for the wider region .On 1 October, Iran launched around 200 ballistic missiles at Israel. On 26 October, Israel carried out military action against Iran.
“Monitor this travel advice and other media as the situation is changing fast. Follow and contact FCDO travel on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can also get email notifications when this travel advice is updated. Read FCDO advice if you’re affected by a crisis abroad.”
It has also issued a separate alert for Turkey after an attack which left a number of people dead. It said: “On 23 October there was a terrorist attack on Turkish Aerospace Industries’ facility in Kahramankazan, 40km northwest of central Ankara, which resulted in 5 deaths and 22 injuries, as well as the deaths of the two assailants.
“While the incident has ended, the response is ongoing, including increased security measures at Turkish airports, which means security checks will take longer than normal. If you are in the area near the attack, follow the advice of the local authorities and monitor local media.”
Israel attacked Iran with a series of pre-dawn airstrikes on Saturday in what it said was a response to the barrage of ballistic missiles the Islamic Republic fired on Israel earlier in the month. The Israeli military said its aircraft targeted facilities that Iran used to make missiles fired at Israel as well as surface-to-air missile sites.
There was no immediate indication that oil or missile sites were hit – strikes that would have marked a much more serious escalation – and Israel offered no immediate damage assessment.
Explosions could be heard in the Iranian capital, Tehran, though the Islamic Republic insisted they caused only “limited damage” and Iranian state-run media downplayed the attacks.
Still, the strikes risk pushing the arch-enemies closer to all-out war at a time of spiralling violence across the Middle East, where militant groups backed by Iran – including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon – are already at war with Israel.