On Thursday, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced a tightened travel advisory, cautioning against all travel to Israel and Palestine. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson emphasized the seriousness of the situation, stating, “Take this decision seriously. The security situation in the Middle East is serious and can quickly worsen.”
Slovenia has also extended its travel advisories to include Iran and Lebanon. The Slovenian Foreign Ministry issued a statement urging citizens to avoid these countries, citing serious security concerns in Lebanon and advising those currently there to leave immediately.
The travel warnings come in response to heightened security tensions following the assassination of senior Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr by an Israeli airstrike in southern Beirut on Tuesday night. Hezbollah confirmed Shukr’s death on Wednesday evening.
In a related incident, the Palestinian resistance group Hamas reported that Israel assassinated its political bureau chief, Ismail Haniyeh, in an airstrike targeting his residence in Tehran, where he was attending the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
The recent violence has increased fears of a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah, with months-long exchanges of cross-border fire contributing to the growing instability.
The escalation follows a prolonged Israeli offensive on Gaza, which has resulted in nearly 39,500 deaths since last October after an attack by Hamas.
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