Travel warning for Dubai and Israel: Vacation under dangerous stars!

Travel warning for Dubai and Israel: Vacation under dangerous stars!

Current geopolitical tensions have led to widespread travel warnings for several countries in the Middle East. The Federal Foreign Office informs that popular holiday regions such as Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are now classified as risk areas. The background to this decision is escalating military conflicts between Israel and Iran, which make the security situation in the entire region appear unpredictable.

Flight connections to and via these countries are severely restricted or even completely stopped. Airlines such as Emirates and Flydubai have suspended their connections to several neighboring countries. Travelers are strongly advised to avoid traveling to these areas, especially individual travelers and tourists with private travel reasons. Non-essential travel is discouraged for the United Arab Emirates, even though there is currently no formal travel ban.

Warnings for Israel

A special warning applies to Israel, where an official alert has been issued due to extreme dangers. A state of emergency was declared after Israeli attacks on Iranian facilities. Civil defense in Israel recommends that the population stay near shelters. Tourist travel to Israel is not justifiable under the current circumstances and air travel to Israel has been suspended. In addition, the land crossings to Jordan and Egypt are largely closed. Affected people on site should strictly follow the instructions of the authorities and follow media reports carefully, as a repatriation campaign is being prepared by the federal government.

Global terrorist threat

In addition to regional security warnings, the global threat of terrorist attacks and kidnappings remains. The terrorist organizations Al Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) in particular pose a threat. This must be seen against the background of the terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023, which increased the mobilization potential. Although there is currently no concrete evidence of a threat to German interests abroad, it cannot be ruled out that German nationals or institutions will become the target of acts of terrorist violence.

Travelers should be aware of the increased risks and act safety-conscious. It is recommended to be informed about the conditions in the country you are traveling to and to follow local and international media before and during your trip. Suspicious occurrences, such as unattended luggage or strange behavior, should be reported immediately to local police or security authorities. The risk of possible attacks varies from country to country and is overall low compared to other travel risks, but travelers should still be careful.

For detailed information on the travel warnings and the security situation in the affected regions, interested people can visit the website baden24.de and auswärts-amt.de visit.