Ahead of the High Holidays, which start with the Jewish New Year at sundown on Sept. 22, Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) issued a travel warning to the public on Sunday about possible threats so that it could take preventive measures.
The warning, issued through the Prime Minister’s Office, was not a new travel alert but an up-to-date review of the main trends in terrorist activity around the world, the NSC said.
“The recent period has been characterized by continued efforts to carry out terrorist attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets by the various terrorist organizations (most of them led by Iran and Hamas),” according to the statement.
As the Gaza war grinds on, there is also a worsening trend of antisemitism abroad, “to the point of physically harming Israelis and Jews,” warned the NSC. The trend was driven at least in part due to an anti-Israel narrative and a “negative media campaign by pro-Palestinian elements,” the statement continued.
The trend is liable to “encourage and motivate” extremists to carry out terrorist acts against Israelis and Jews abroad, according to the NSC.
Main trends
Iran remains the No. 1 source of terrorism against Israelis and Jews around the world, directly and through its proxies, according to the NSC.
“Iranian motivation is growing in light of the severe blows it suffered in the framework of ‘Operation Rising Lion’ and the growing desire for revenge,” it reported, referring to the 12-day Israel-Iran war.
The statement went on to note that dozens of Iranian-directed terrorist acts had been thwarted over the past year, some of which had targeted Israeli missions abroad, former senior Israeli officials and various Israeli and Jewish targets.
Hamas, too, is expanding its activities to promote attacks against Jews and Israelis abroad, according to the NSC. Other radical Islamic groups also pose a threat, including Islamic State, Al Qaeda, and Al-Shabaab, it warned.
The NSC noted an assessment from the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC) according to which Oct. 7, 2025, the second anniversary of the Hamas invasion, could motivate terrorists, both organized and lone wolves, to carry out attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets abroad.
“The bottom line is that the various terrorist elements (Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, global jihad) maintain high activity and motivation to promote attacks against Israelis and Jews around the world,” the NSC said.
The NSC called on the Israeli public to act responsibly while abroad, to check for travel warnings before purchasing tickets and to follow NSC recommendations, including:
1. becoming familiar with the destination country, its population composition, security situation, regime.
2. Refraining from exhibiting external Israeli and Jewish symbols.
3. Avoiding speaking Hebrew in public places.
4. Not participating in large events that are not secure.
5. Avoiding traveling to isolated sites without the presence of security personnel.
6. obtaining contact numbers with local security officials in advance.
7. Staying alert while staying at the destination, paying attention to the surroundings.
8. Staying away from demonstrations and protests.
9. Refraining from holding a dialogue about service in Israel’s security forces with unfamiliar elements.
The NSC stressed the risk of sharing content on social media, which can lead to the account’s owner becoming a target. “Therefore, we recommend that you do not upload to social networks in any way content that attests to service in the security forces, operational activity or similar content, as well as real-time locations,” it said.
JNS has reported on a new group, the Hind Rajab Foundation, based in Brussels, which has mounted a legal action campaign, identifying IDF soldiers traveling abroad via their social media accounts.
The NSC concluded its report with a list of countries to avoid, including Iraq, Yemen, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Somalia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Libya, Algeria, Jordan, Egypt and Turkey.
It noted global jihad elements are prominent in some parts of Africa, including the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, and Central Africa, and in Asia (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Kashmir region in India, and Indonesia.)
The NSC repeated a Level 4 travel warning for the Sinai Peninsula, reflecting a high threat and stressing that the area should be avoided, with an emphasis to steer clear of the Sinai coast.
