India on Friday advised its citizens not to travel till further notice to Iran or Israel in view of prevailing situation. This caution comes amid reports that Iran is likely to launch direct attack on Israel with the next 48 hours.
Issuing note of caution, Ministry of External Affairs(MEA)also urged all Indians currently residing in Iran or Israel to get in touch with Indian embassies there and register themselves.
The MEA also said Indians residing in Iran, Israel are requested to observe utmost precautions about their safety and restrict movements to minimum.
The ministry’s advisory came on a day when reports said Iran would likely launch a direct attack on Israel within the next 48 hours. The report also said Iran was still weighing the political risks of a direct attack on Israel.
The advisory comes after Iran threatened reprisals over an Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria 11 days ago, sparking fears of an escalation of violence in the Middle East.
On Wednesday, Israel’s foreign minister had threatened that the country’s forces would strike Iran directly if it launched an attack from its territory against Israel.
Meanwhile, over 6,000 Indian workers are expected to arrive in Israel during April and May to help the country’s construction sector meet a labour shortage following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
As part of the government-to-government (G2G) agreement, about 60 workers from India have already been sent via an “air shuttle” in the first week of April. A series of arrivals is expected in the coming weeks, a total of 850 by mid-April.
In another development, India said it has relocated its staff from its consulate in Myanmarese city of Sittwe to Yangon in view of the precarious security situation in that region of Myanmar.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India is closely monitoring the security situation in that country.
“We are closely monitoring the security situation in Myanmar, particularly in the Rakhine State. Necessary steps have been taken to ensure the safety of our citizens,” he said at his weekly media briefing.
“We have temporarily relocated our staff at CGI (Consulate General of India) Sittwe to Yangon. Our Consulate in Mandalay remains fully functional,” Jaiswal said.
