Israelis called on to return home from Turkey after ‘Iranian threats’

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid says Israel prevented attacks against citizens on holiday

Members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pictured in Tehran in April. An unidentified Israeli security official said Turkey had arrested several suspected IRGC 'operatives' amid threats to Israeli civilians. Photo: ReutersShow less

Israel has warned its citizens against travel to Turkey after Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said the two countries had co-operated in preventing attacks by suspected Iranian operatives.

“Return to Israel immediately,” Mr Lapid said as Israel raised its travel advisory to the highest level on Monday.

“We have participated in a tremendous effort that saved Israeli lives,” Mr Lapid wrote in a Tweet.

”Some of them have returned to Israel and wandered among us without knowing their lives have been saved.”

He warned against any travel to Turkey unless there was a “vital reason”.

Mr Lapid cited “a series of attempts” by Iranian operatives to harm Israeli tourists.

"These terrorist threats are aimed at vacationing Israelis. They are selecting, in a random but deliberate manner, Israeli citizens with a view to kidnapping or murdering them," he said.

The Israeli official warned Iran against harming Israeli citizens.

“Whoever harms Israelis will not get away with it. Israel's long arm will get them, no matter where they are," he said.

Mr Lapid thanked the Turkish government for contributing to saving “Israeli lives in recent weeks”.

Speaking to Reuters, an unidentified Israeli security official said Turkey had arrested several suspected "operatives" of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Turkish officials and the Iranian embassy in Ankara did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Tehran has promised to retaliate against Israel, which it blames for the May 22 killing of Hassan Sayad Khodai, an IRGC colonel who was shot dead at the wheel of his car by two people on a motorcycle.

Women hold pictures of Iranian colonel Hossein Sayad Khodai during his funeral in Tehran in May. He was shot dead by unidentified gunmen outside his home in the south of the Iranian capital on May 22. Photo: EPA

Israel neither confirmed nor denied responsibility, its standard policy over accusations of assassinations. It accused Khodai of having plotted attacks against its citizens worldwide.

Turkey is a popular tourist destination for Israelis. The two countries have been mending their ties after more than a decade of strained relations.

The upgraded advisory does not apply to Israelis on flights with layovers in Istanbul "as long as they do not leave the airport", Israel's National Security Council said.

With additional reporting by Reuters