France has issued a strong advisory to its citizens, urging them to refrain from traveling to Iran, Lebanon, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories. The warning comes amidst heightened regional tensions exacerbated by Israel's military actions in Gaza.
The French Foreign Minister, after a crisis meeting, highlighted the risk of military escalation in the mentioned areas. As a precautionary measure, families of diplomatic staff in Tehran are being recalled to France, and civil servants are prohibited from undertaking work missions to these countries and territories.
Concerns over potential retaliatory actions by Iran or its proxies have put diplomats on high alert. This follows a recent Israeli attack on an embassy compound in Syria, resulting in the deaths of top Iranian commanders. The looming threat of an Iranian counterattack was a key topic of discussion during a recent phone call between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
As of now, both the US and Israeli governments remain uncertain about the timing and nature of any potential Iranian retaliation. The situation is being closely monitored by authorities in anticipation of further developments.