MEA issues travel advisory for Israel, Iran over rising tensions
Hindustan TimesIndia on Friday issued an advisory urging its citizens not to travel to Iran or Israel following a sharp rise in tensions between the two sides, and asking all Indian nationals living in the two countries to observe “utmost precautions” for their safety. Israeli authorities had plans to operate an “air shuttle” to bring in the Indian workers after the Prime Minister’s Office, finance ministry and construction ministry decided to subsidise charter flights. Last week, India expressed concern at the Israeli air strike on a building in the Iranian embassy complex in Damascus on April 1 that killed seven people, including Brig Gen Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who oversaw operations in Syria and Lebanon. International pressure has grown on Israel following the recent killing of seven aid workers of the World Central Kitchen in Israeli air strikes, with US President Joe Biden describing the deaths as “outrageous”.