Israel Warns Israelis to Get Out of …Iraq

Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) issued a rare statement informing citizens that travel to Iraq without a permit was a criminal offense. “Given the increase in threats, visiting Iraq is very dangerous, and that there is a tangible fear for the lives of Israelis visiting Iraq,” the NSC statement said. It urged Israelis who are currently there to get out immediately.  In recent years, Israelis of Iraqi origin have been returning there as tourists in and around Baghdad and southern Iraq where Jewish communities once flourished. Some have sought adventure travel in the Kurdish-controlled parts of northeastern Iraq.