As Israel carried out a retaliatory strike on the Iranian mainland on the 19th (local time), escalating tensions in the Middle East, the United States and other countries have been strengthening the safety measures for their citizens within Israel one after another.
The U.S. Embassy in Israel announced in a security advisory on the same day that "U.S. government employees and their families are restricted from personal travel outside the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, Jerusalem, and Beersheba until further notice."
This notice came shortly after U.S. officials reported that Israel had carried out a retaliatory strike on the Iranian mainland in the early hours of the day.
Previously, Iran had launched a large-scale airstrike against Israel on the 13th in response to the bombing of its consulate in Syria on the 1st, and had declared that it would retaliate again if Israel carried out further reprisals.
On the same day, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) issued an evacuation order for its citizens in Israel.
DFAT warned on X (formerly Twitter) that "the threat of military retaliation and terrorist attacks against Israel is high across the entire country," adding that "the security situation could deteriorate rapidly."
It further advised, "We recommend Australians in Israel or the Palestinian territories to leave if it is safe to do so."
It also expressed concerns that "airspace closures, flight cancellations, rerouting, and other travel disruptions may occur due to military attacks," and warned that "Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv could be temporarily suspended at any time due to heightened security concerns."
Earlier, Iranian state TV reported that around 4 a.m. local time, three drones were spotted over Isfahan, the capital of Isfahan Province in central Iran, and that the air defense system was activated to shoot them all down.
Israel has not made any official statements regarding this matter.
However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that there was no damage to nuclear facilities in Iran. Some local reports in Iran have even denied that the attack occurred.
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