US, UK set travel warning over threats to Israeli-linked sites in UAE
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The US Embassy, UK, and others have warned of possible attacks on sites linked to "Israel" in the UAE amid heightened regional tensions and the ongoing war on Gaza Strip.
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The sunrise reflects on city skylines at the Marina and Jumeirah Lake Towers districts in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on February 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
The US Embassy and several other Western governments have warned their citizens of potential "attacks" targeting locations in the UAE associated with "Israel", urging travelers to remain vigilant.
In a statement released on Friday, the US Embassy and Consulate in the United Arab Emirates said it was “aware of information indicating threats toward the Jewish and Israeli communities” and advised citizens to avoid such locations.
The UK’s Foreign Office issued a similar travel warning, stating that "terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in the UAE." Additionally, Canada issued its alert on August 6, followed by Australia on August 9, both citing similar security concerns.
These warnings follow a July 31 advisory from "Israel’s" National Security Council, which urged its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the UAE and reconsider visiting the country. The council linked the threat to Iran, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and the Palestinian movement Hamas, alongside other groups, citing alleged “heightened motivation to exact revenge” for Israeli military actions in Iran and the ongoing war on Gaza.
Link to regional tensions and the war on Gaza
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, over 61,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war on Gaza, with the UN warning of mass starvation. The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not responded to requests for comment on the latest travel advisories.
The heightened concerns also follow a November 2024 incident in which Zvi Kogan, an Israeli-Moldovan ultra-Orthodox rabbi and shop owner in Dubai, was found dead. UAE authorities arrested three Uzbek nationals in connection with the killing, but did not provide a motive.
"Israel" and the UAE normalized relations in 2020 under the US-brokered normalization agreements, leading to a surge in Israeli tourism and business activity in the Gulf state. However, since the October 7, 2023, operation and the subsequent war on Gaza, travel patterns and diplomatic dynamics have shifted amid escalating regional tensions and actions in solidarity with Palestine against the brutal Israeli aggression and occupation.
