Australians told to leave Israel while flights remain available

Canberra, Oct 15: The Australian government has upgraded its travel advice warning for Israel and Palestine, telling Australians not to travel to the area.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Monday night revised the official travel advice for Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories to the highest warning level, reports Xinhua news agency.

In an update sent through the government's Smarttraveller service, the department said it now advises Australians to "do not travel" to either area due to the volatile security situation, armed conflict, civil unrest and terrorism.

"If you're in Israel, you should leave while commercial flights remain available, border crossings are open, and while it's safe to do so," the update said.

The government previously advised Australians to reconsider their need to travel to the region and, if they were in Israel, to reconsider whether they needed to remain in the country.

In a statement posted on social media, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the government has serious concerns that the security situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories could deteriorate rapidly.

The department advised Australian citizens and permanent residents in the region to register with its crisis registration portal.

"There's an ongoing threat of missile and rocket attacks in Israel. You should not travel to Israeli border areas with Lebanon. In an attack or other armed conflict, you should take shelter, follow the advice of local authorities and monitor local media and public safety information updates," the update said.