Greece Advises Against Non-essential Travel to Israel, Iran

The Greek Foreign Affairs Ministry on Sunday said that its October 2023 warning against non-essential travel to Israel, the Palestinian Territories and Lebanon remains in force.

The ministry issued the notice following the developments in the Middle East and the global concern about the attack by Iran on Israel on Saturday.

In a statement, the Greek Foreign Affairs Ministry said:

“The recommendation issued on October 15, 2023, on non-essential travel to Israel, the Palestinian Territories and Lebanon, remains in force. The same advice applies to travel to Iran.”

According to reports, Iran on late Saturday launched hundreds of drones as well as cruise missiles towards Israel, prompting the Jewish state to close its airspace and airlines to announce flight cancellations.

Israel reopened its airspace on Sunday morning though flight schedules from Tel Aviv were expected to still be affected.

The country’s flag carrier EL AL on Sunday had cancelled 15 flights to Europe, Dubai and Moscow.

In its latest update, the airline said it had resumed operations and was “working to stabilise the flight schedule as soon as possible”.

Greece was among the countries to condemn Iran’s attack on Israel. The Greek Foreign Affairs Ministry issued the following statement:

“The Greek government unequivocally condemns Iran’s attacks on Israel, which constitute a severe deterioration of the already strained situation in the region.
Such actions pose a significant danger to both regional and international security. It is absolutely essential to prevent any further spread of hostilities.”