Israel’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau has again warned all Israelis to leave Turkey immediately due to a pending ISIS attack.
Israel’s National Security Council Counter-Terrorism Bureau (NSCCTB) has again issued an updated warning Israelis to leave Turkey immediately due to a pending terror attack by the Islamic State (ISIS) group, basing the warning on immediate and concrete intelligence.
Following the deadly blast in Istanbul last month that killed three Israelis, an Iranian and wounded dozens, the counter-terrorism bureau called on Israelis to avoid visiting the country altogether and those that are still there were told to leave immediately.
Israelis still in Turkey have been told to avoid public places and tourism attractions.
ISIS is reportedly in the advanced stage of plans to murder Jewish children and attack synagogues in Turkey. Extraordinary security measures are being taken to prevent such a scenario from taking place.
According to a report by the United Kingdom’s Sky News, citing intelligence sources, the plot includes attacking Jewish kindergartens, schools and youth centers, with most likely target being Istanbul’s synagogue in Beyoglu. Information on the attack was obtained from six ISIS terrorists who were arrested in the southern city of Gaziantep the report said in late March.
On March 28th the NSCCTB upgraded its warning from “a basic concrete threat” to “a high concrete threat,” the second-highest warning level, warning of an immediate ISIS attack in the country.
Turkey has been struck by six suicide bombings in the past few months, resulting in over 200 deaths.
The United States is also warning its citizens about “credible threats” to tourist areas in Turkey, especially around public squares and docks in Istanbul and the Mediterranean city of Antalya.
An emergency message posted on the US Consulate Website on Saturday warns its citizens to exercise “extreme caution” in the vicinity of those areas.
The message did not provide further information on the threats.
By: Max Gelber, United with Israel
AP contributed to this report.