Sweden, Slovenia advise against travel to Israel, Palestinian territories

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Sweden and Slovenia issued strong advisories Thursday urging their citizens to avoid traveling to Israel and the Palestinian territories due to escalating tensions in the region

"Today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is tightening Sweden's travel advisory regarding Israel and Palestine. From now on, there is a strict advisory against all travel to both countries," Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson also wrote on X.

"Take this decision seriously. The security situation in the Middle East is serious and can quickly worsen," he added.

Slovenia has advised its citizens to avoid traveling to Israel, Iran and Lebanon.

The Slovenian Foreign Ministry issued a statement urging citizens to stay away from the countries.

It highlighted serious security concerns in Lebanon and advised Slovenian citizens currently there to leave the country immediately.

Security tensions in Israel have surged after Tel Aviv announced the assassination of senior Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in an airstrike on a building in southern Beirut on Tuesday night. Hezbollah confirmed Shukr's assassination on Wednesday evening.

Hours later, the Palestinian resistance group Hamas said that Israel assassinated its political bureau chief, Ismail Haniyeh, in an airstrike targeting his residence in the Iranian capital Tehran. Haniyeh had arrived there to attend the inauguration of Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.

Fears have grown of a full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah amid a months-long exchange of cross-border fire.

The escalation comes against the backdrop of an Israeli onslaught on Gaza which has killed nearly 39,500 people since last October following an attack by Hamas.