Israel asks citizens to leave Turkey citing attack risk

Israel on Monday advised its citizens to leave Turkey citing the potential for jihadist attacks after three Israelis were among four people killed in a March 19 suicide bombing in Istanbul.

“It has been decided to upgrade the existing travel warning vis-a-vis Turkey from a basic concrete threat to a high concrete threat, and to reiterate our recommendation to the public to avoid visiting the country and — for Israelis currently in Turkey — to leave as soon as possible,” a government statement said.

The statement said the bombing highlighted the threat from Islamic State group militants “against tourist targets throughout Turkey and proves high capabilities of carrying out further attacks”.

“Terrorist infrastructures in Turkey continue to advance additional attacks against tourist targets throughout the country,” it said. 

Tens of thousands of Israelis visit nearby Turkey each year despite strained diplomatic relations between the two countries.