India on August 2 issued an updated advisory for Indians living in Israel, asking them to avoid “unnecessary travel” and to stay vigilant in light of the “prevailing security situation”. The advisory follows the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday, where he had attended the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
While Israel has not claimed responsibility for the assassination, and the United States has denied any involvement, Iran has blamed Israel and the U.S. for the killing of a “guest” and threatened to exact “revenge” for the violation of its sovereignty.
On Thursday, Air India along with other global airlines decided to halt its services to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport as a precaution. The advisory from the Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv follows a travel advisory issued for Indians in Lebanon earlier this week, following a rocket attack on an Arab-Israeli community in the Golan Heights, for which Israel blamed the Hezbollah group.
“In view of the prevailing situation in the region, all Indian nationals in Israel are advised to adhere to the safety protocols as advised by the local authorities,” the Indian Embassy said in its notice, without mentioning any specific references to the killing. “Please exercise caution, avoid unnecessary travel within the country and stay close to safety shelters,” it said, adding that the embassy was “closely monitoring” the situation.
There are about 18,000 Indians living in Israel as students, professionals, construction workers and caregivers. In March this year, one Indian from Kerala was killed and two injured in a suspected Hezbollah rocket attack as they worked on an orchard in northern Israel.
On Friday, Haniyeh was buried in Qatar, and countries across the Islamic world, including Turkey, the Gulf nations, Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia, held prayers attended by thousands.
Iran has called for revenge, raising the “Red Flag” over the Qom mosque in a sign that there will be reprisals for what it calls a violation of its sovereignty by Israel. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the Haniyeh killing, but announced that it has killed Hezbollah leader Fouad Shukur in Beirut and Hamas leader Mohammad Deif in missile strikes this month.
On Thursday, after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said categorically that the U.S. was not involved and called for an immediate ceasefire, U.S. President Joe Biden said the killing was detrimental to peace efforts. “It doesn’t help,” Mr. Biden told reporters on Thursday, when asked if Haniyeh’s assassination would hurt chances for a ceasefire agreement.
Published - August 02, 2024 07:59 pm IST
