Israel Temporarily Shuts Diplomatic Missions, Including Morocco Office, Amid Security Concerns

The decision was made by the security division of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in coordination with the Shabak, the Israeli internal intelligence service, reports the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, noting that this temporary closure measure concerns 28 Israeli diplomatic missions worldwide.

Since the start of the war with Hamas in October, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs had asked the staff of its liaison office in Rabat to evacuate the premises. Demonstrations and marches against the Hebrew state and in support of Palestine are regularly organized in Moroccan cities since the outbreak of the conflict, which led the Israeli National Security Council to recommend that Israeli citizens avoid traveling to Morocco.

The same instructions had been given to Israeli missions in Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Ankara and Istanbul in Turkey, as well as in Turkmenistan. But, reports the New York Times, the measure was reinforced after Monday’s attack on the Iranian consulate building in Damascus by 6 missiles, attributed to Israel. All Israeli missions around the world have been put on maximum alert, with Israeli diplomats fearing retaliation from the Iranian regime.

Sources from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs have assured that strict instructions have been given to the staff of the missions abroad to redouble their vigilance and reduce their movements.