The Philippine Embassy has advised Filipinos in Israel to take precautions and stay away from Golan Heights and places near the Lebanon and Gaza borders amid escalating tensions in the region.
In its advisory, the embassy told Filipinos in the Gaza Envelope and South Israel that educational activities are prohibited and this came as tensions flared between Palestinian militants and Israelis after the latter launched an airstrike on “Islamic Jihad targets in the Gaza Strip.”
In work places, activities may only be held inside a “standard protected space” near a bomb shelter while outdoor gatherings are limited to just 10 people and 50 indoors after a strike reportedly killed a top commander of a Palestinian militant group and nine others, including a five-year-old kid, triggering a retaliatory rocket barrage.
“Maging maingat at mapagmatyag sa paligid. Iwasan at ipagpaliban din muna ang pagpunta sa maselang lugar katulad ng Golan Heights, mga lugar na malapit sa border ng Lebanon at ang border ng Gaza (Remain alert and refrain from going to sensitive areas like Golan Heights, areas near the Lebanon border, and the Gaza border),” the Philippine Embassy in Israel said.
The Embassy urged Filipinos to take necessary precautions when riding public vehicles and refrain from going to crowded places as much as possible and avoid or postpone visits to the Golan Heights and places near the borders of Lebanon and Gaza.
The United Nations said the continuing escalation in the region is “very dangerous”.
