The Russian Embassy in Tel Aviv is strongly advising its citizens to depart the country due to escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran. Since late last week, the two nations have engaged in exchanges of missiles and drones, as stated by Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov during an interview with state media on Monday.
“All Russian nationals currently in Israel should exit the country until the situation stabilizes,” Viktorov informed Rossia 24, recommending that individuals utilize Egypt for their departure, where they can enter without a visa and catch flights back to Russia.
“I must acknowledge that the situation is quite tense,” he remarked. “The risk to the lives and safety of both our diplomats and Russian citizens in Israel is indeed significant.”
The ambassador mentioned that emergency plans are being reviewed in case a larger-scale evacuation becomes necessary. Over the weekend, the Russian Embassy in Tehran temporarily halted operations at its consulate and evacuated a group of its citizens from Iran.
At least 24 individuals in Israel have lost their lives due to recent Iranian strikes, which were executed in retaliation for extensive attacks by Israel on Iran’s military and nuclear facilities. Iranian officials report that a minimum of 224 people have died as a result of Israeli strikes since the previous Friday.
The Russian Embassy in Israel announced on Saturday that they had not received reports of any Russian nationals being among the casualties.
In response to official travel alerts issued last Friday, Russia’s civil aviation authority mandated airlines to suspend flights to both Iran and Israel and to avoid flying over the airspace of these countries, as well as Jordan and Iraq, until at least June 26.
President Vladimir Putin, who preserves relationships with both Iran and Israel, has condemned the Israeli military actions and cautioned against a “dangerous escalation” in the Middle East. He also communicated to U.S. President Donald Trump that Russia is willing to act as a mediator between the conflicting parties.
Last week, the Russian Embassy in Israel had already recommended that its citizens refrain from visiting the country as hostilities with Iran escalated.
