Israel issues global terror warning for Passover travel as Iran threats escalate

Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) on Wednesday warned Israelis living or traveling abroad to take increased precautions during the upcoming Passover and Shavuot holidays due to rising security threats from Tehran and its terrorist proxies amid the ongoing war with the Islamic Republic of Iran. 

“The National Security Council reaffirms its assessment that the Iranian regime will work more vigorously to carry out terrorist attacks abroad against Israeli/Jewish targets.”

The NSC emphasized that any gathering of Jews and Israelis abroad during the Jewish holidays represents “a potential target for attack by terrorist elements.”

Due to the elevated security risk, the NSC urged Jews and Israelis abroad to avoid organizing Passover events in open public spaces. It also suggested that Israelis avoid traveling to countries geographically close to Iran, such as Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, and Arab Gulf states like the United Arab Emirates.

Additionally, the NSC reiterated its warning against traveling to the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula unless flying abroad via Taba Airport. This popular tourist destination for Israelis has, for years, been affected by lawlessness and the presence of ISIS-linked Islamist extremists.

The NSC linked its security warnings to recent anti-Jewish attacks around the world, including attacks on a synagogue and the torching of a Jewish-owned car in Belgium, antisemitic attacks in the Netherlands, and the torching of four Jewish ambulances in London. 

The Belgian government recently decided to deploy military personnel to protect the country’s increasingly threatened Jewish minority amid growing antisemitic attacks in the country. 

“The safety of every citizen must be guaranteed,” the Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken stated, emphasizing that “antisemitism and hatred against Jews will never be tolerated.”

The ayatollah regime has for years used terrorist proxies and terrorist cells to carry out terrorist attacks worldwide against Jews, Israelis and dissident Iranian expats. 

U.S. and European authorities warned earlier this month that the Tehran regime could activate terror sleeper cells worldwide amid the ongoing war, where the Islamic Republic has suffered severe military blows. 

“Iranian operations abroad are definitely part of the regime’s toolkit for responding to attacks, including war,” Middle East terrorism expert and former FBI official Matthew Levitt warned. 

“The regime carries out such attacks wherever it can, including in Europe," Levitt added.

The Israeli Ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, also issued a warning of potential terror attacks in German cities. 

"I think everything is possible with these terrorists," Proser said. "That means we have to prepare ourselves well for it, always sleep with one eye open."

A European report in 2024 warned that the Iranian regime increasingly cooperated with criminal networks to carry out terrorist attacks across Europe against Jews, Israelis and Iranian regime critics. 

The Swedish security service Säpo addressed the threat against Iranian dissidents living abroad at the time. 

“Iran has previously used violence in other countries in Europe with the aim of silencing critical voices and perceived threats to its own regime,” Säpo stated. “To carry out these security-threatening activities, the Iranian regime has on occasion made use of criminal networks."