Russia's Embassy in Tel Aviv on Monday issued a travel warning to its citizens to refrain from travelling to Israel.
An embassy statement cited the “escalating security situation in and around Israel” as the reason for the travel warning and advised Russian citizens to refrain from traveling “until the situation is clarified.”
“Russian citizens in Israel are urged to remain calm and vigilant, strictly adhere to Israeli authorities' instructions regarding security measures, remain near safe areas, and, if necessary, not leave them until notified by local authorities,” it said.
The statement asked Russian citizens to monitor updates by the embassy released on its official website and social media platforms, “given the extreme instability of the military and political situation in the Middle East.”
It also noted that the embassy has no information about Russian citizens who may have been injured as of 12 pm local time (0900GMT) on Monday.
“We are closely monitoring the situation. Embassy staff are in close contact with Israeli authorities,” the statement added.
Tensions escalated on Sunday when Israel bombed the Lebanese capital Beirut despite an ongoing ceasefire, prompting Iran to launch missiles at northern Israel in retaliation, with Israel responding with several waves of airstrikes against Iran.
The region has been on edge since the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran in late February, triggering Iranian retaliation on Israel and other regional countries hosting US assets.
A temporary ceasefire was reached on April 8, but negotiations later stalled amid disputes over its implementation and subsequent regional developments.
