The UK Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for a number of countries, some of which are popular with British holidaymakers due to concerns over a possible Iranian attack on Israel. Tehran has vowed to retaliate after its consulate in Damascus, Syria, was destroyed in an airstrike earlier this month that claimed the lives of several top generals.
Israel has not commented on the attack. However, Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the country “must be punished and it will be punished.”
Israel itself has already threatened to strike Iran directly if it launches an attack from its territory, and there are fears that the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip could also spread across the involvement of the Lebanon-based, Iran-backed militant group. Hezbollah.
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On Friday evening, the Foreign Office published updated advice for a number of countries in the Middle East and the Arab world as a whole. Most of the affected areas concerned countries rarely visited or to which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises against travel, notably Syria, Lebanon and Algeria.
However, a number of countries visited more frequently by UK travelers also make the list. These include Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates (which includes Dubai and Abu Dhabi), Egypt and Morocco.
From Stansted Airport, the nearest major international airport to Cambridge, a number of flights are operated to some of these countries. These include an Emirates service to Dubai, a TUI flight to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt and Ryanair flights to a number of destinations in Morocco including Fez, Tangier and Marrakech.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' updated advice to all affected countries states: “There is increasing tension between Iran and Israel. Any military action could escalate quickly and pose risks to the region as a whole. If you are in the area or planning to travel there, keep an eye out for news updates and continue to check the FCDO travel advice for updates.
Full list of countries concerned:
The following countries have had their travel advice updated to reflect the growing tensions. Information is accurate as of 9:50 a.m. on Saturday April 13 and may change quickly.
Algeria
Bahrain
Iran*
Iraq**
Jordan
Lebanon*
Libya*
Morocco
Kuwait
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Syria*
Yemen*
*The Ministry of Foreign Affairs already advises against all travel to this location.
**The Foreign Office already advises against all travel to most of Iraq and only essential travel to Iraqi Kurdistan.
