PARIS, June 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Israeli embassies in the United States and the United Kingdom were among several to close around the globe following deadly Israeli strikes in Iran.
“In light of recent developments, Israeli missions around the world will be closed and consular services will not be provided,” read a message posted by the country’s embassies in the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden,
Norway, Germany, Nigeria, Russia, Ukraine and France.
Israel has urged citizens to stay alert and not display Jewish or Israeli symbols in public places, statements posted on embassy websites said on Friday after Israel launched large-scale attacks on Iran and its nuclear program.
“Israeli missions around the world will be closed and consular services will not be provided,” the ministry said in a statement.
It advised all Israelis abroad to fill out a survey to update the ministry on their location and situation.
A similar form was provided by the ministry following the Oct 7, 2023 Hamas attack to coordinate the return of reservists, and organize rescue flights if necessary.
No timeframe was given for how long the embassies would be closed. A person picking up the phone at the embassy in Berlin gave no further details.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, said Germany was stepping up protection of Jewish and Israeli sites.
Visible security was increased outside the Great Synagogue of Stockholm, with a police van and car parked near the building, a witness said.
In its largest military action against Iran to date, Israel’s wave of strikes hit about 100 targets, including nuclear facilities and military command centers, and killed senior figures, among them the armed forces chief, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and top nuclear scientists.
The Islamic Republic, which vows to destroy Israel, says its nuclear program is for civilian purposes. However, it enriches uranium up to 60 percent — a level that has no civilian purpose and is close to the 90% threshold needed for a nuclear warhead. Iran has obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities. — NNN-AGENCIES
