Australia has issued a heightened travel advisory, urging its citizens to leave Israel and the Palestinian territories if possible due to an "elevated risk of military actions and terrorism."
"Australians in either Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories are strongly advised to depart if it is feasible," the Department of Foreign Affairs declared in an updated travel warning.
Previously, Australia had advised its citizens to avoid travel to these regions if possible and to consider departing if they felt uneasy.
The more recent and emphatic warning follows direct airstrikes traded between Israel and Iran, a significant escalation of hostilities after years of covert conflicts.
Australian diplomatic officials cautioned that "military airstrikes could disrupt air travel, causing airspace closures, flight cancelations, and reroutings."
Furthermore, Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport, they noted, "may face operational interruptions at short notice due to heightened security concerns."
