Britain has advised against all travel to Israel amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, which has seen deadly strikes traded between the two countries.
The Foreign Office updated its travel advice on Saturday to say that it now advises against travel to anywhere in Israel, where attacks have left at least 10 people dead as sent millions rushing to bomb shelters.
The advice is a change from Friday, when the government said only essential travel was allowed to some areas.
The red alert now puts Israel on the same level as Iran, where travel to anywhere in the country is advised against.
In its update, the Foreign Office said: “Iran has launched multiple rounds of missile and drone attacks against Israel. On 13 June, a nationwide state of emergency was declared in Israel. This followed Israeli strikes against nuclear and military facilities in Iran. Israeli airspace remains closed.
“We recognise this is a fast-moving situation that poses significant risks. The situation has the potential to deteriorate further, quickly and without warning. The current situation has disrupted air links out of the country and may disrupt road links.”
The conflict has caused mass flight diversions across Middle East airspace and shut down Tel Aviv’s airport.
Airlines have halted flights to and from Tel Aviv, with reports of people killed in an Iranian strike on Bat Yam, which is just south of the city.
Israeli commercial airlines have been moving their planes out of the country, as part of a reported contingency plan in case they are targeted in any upcoming attacks.
What is happening?
Israel and Iran have continued to trade heavy missile strikes overnight. On Saturday, Iran warned that it would target US, UK or French bases in the region if they shot down missiles heading for Israel.
There are at least 10 reported dead from Iranian strikes on Israel and an unknown number of casualties in Iran.
Air sirens were heard in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as casualties were reported from strikes on buildings in northern Israel and Bar Yam, a city just south of Tel Aviv.
Local Israeli media reported Defence Minister Israel Katz as issuing new threats to Iran on Saturday. Mr Katz reportedly said that Israel “will strike the sites and continue to peel the skin off the Iranian snake in Tehran and everywhere, stripping it of nuclear capabilities and weapons systems”.
Amir Hatami, Iran’s chief of staff, has been quoted by Mehr news agency as saying that “from now on, with full preparation, they [Iranian forces] will carry out decisive and effective strikes against [Israel]”.
Will my flight to Israel be disrupted?
Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport has closed until further notice, leaving Israel effectively cut off from international air travel.
Major carriers have also cancelled their flights to the region.
Israel’s flag carrier El Al Airlines, has suspended flights to and from Israel and has been seen moving some of its planes out of the country.
Lufthansa has said that it will avoid Iranian, Iraqi and Israeli airspace and has halted flights to Tehran and Tel Aviv until 31 July.
Switzerland’s national carrier Swiss, has suspended all flights to Tel Aviv until October.
Air France’s flights to Tel Aviv have been suspended “until further notice”, and Dutch airline KLM has cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv until at least 1 July.
Delta Airlines has also suspended its services to Tel Aviv until at least September, having only just resumed flights on May 20. United Airlines has suspended flights to Tel Aviv until July 31 and will “continue to evaluate an appropriate return date with the safety of our customers and crews as our top priority”.
What are my passenger rights?
If your cancelled flight is covered by UK law, passengers can choose between getting an alternative flight or receiving a refund if their flight is cancelled.
If you received less than 14 days’ notice of a cancellation, you may also be able to claim compensation.
If you’ve been on a flight departing from or flying to Israel and you’ve been denied boarding or your flight is cancelled, delayed or brought forward, you could be entitled to compensation under the Israel Aviation Services Law. However, if the cancellation is due to extraordinary circumstances which are not under the airline’s control, then you might not be entitled to compensation.
If these exceptions don’t apply, you are entitled to receive a refund within 30 days from the date on the flight ticket.
If you decide to travel against Foreign Office advice, you may not be able to be covered by travel insurance.
