Dutch citizens warned not to travel to Israel or Kurdistan amid Iran-Israel tensions
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised citizens and residents of the Netherlands to postpone all essential and non-essential trips to Israel and the autonomous Kurdistan Region in Iraq. The current Code Orange travel warning in both regions indicates essential travel is possible, but the ministry decided to actively discourage any travel to the region due to escalating tensions between Iran and Israel. The country's embassy in Tehran, Iran, and the consulate in Erbil, Iraq, have been temporarily closed to the public.
The ministry warned of an increased risk of rockets being fired at Israel and Iraq, and terrorist attacks in both countries, as retaliation against Israel for an airstrike on the Iranian embassy in Syria. Seven members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard were killed in the attack.
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday he expects Iran to attack Israel "sooner rather than later." The United States has indicated that Iran is moving military equipment, which suggests an impending attack from Iran towards Israel. The United States has rushed warships into position to protect Israel and American forces in that region.
Dutch citizens have not been warned they should leave Israel or the Kurdistan Region. However, the ministry also announced the temporary closure of the embassy in Tehran, Iran and the consulate in Erbil, Iraq. They will remain closed to the public on Sunday as a precaution.
All appointments planned at either of the two closed Dutch diplomatic missions will be rescheduled, and those involved will be notified of the change. This mainly concerns people applying for a visa. The diplomatic missions will continue with other activities.
The ministry will decide on Sunday whether the consular services desks can be reopened on Monday. The ministry emphasized that the safety of employees comes first, but its handling of security procedures and risk assessments are not disclosed.
Most of Israel falls under the Code Orange alert level. Several regions are at the highest alert level, Code Red. This includes the region around the Gaza Strip, the border between Israel and Egypt, the area north of Nazareth towards the border with Lebanon, and the entire Golan Heights region, leading to Israel's border with Syria.
All of Iran has been under a Code Red warning for about 12 weeks. Nearly all of Iraq is at the Code Red level, except for the areas around Duhok, Erbil and Sulaymaniyan in the Kurdistan Region. A higher alert level is in place surrounding tis region, including the northern borders with Turkey and Iran, and at the western and southern directions towards Mosul, Kirkuk, and Baghdad.
It was certainly not the first time that the Netherlands decided to temporarily close a diplomatic mission as a precaution, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told ANP. More than a year ago, the Dutch consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul was closed for a period after a copy of the Quran was torn up in front of the Turkish embassy in The Hague. The consulate was kept closed as a result of the threats that followed.
