Israel Urges Citizens to Leave Turkey Immediately

Officials Say 'Active' ISIS Plot Against Istanbul School

Following last week’s warnings about travel to Turkey, the Israeli government has issued a “level 3” warning, urging all citizens to leave Turkey as soon as possible, claiming an imminent, active threat of ISIS and other similar groups carrying out attacks.

While the warning itself didn’t offer specifics, intelligence officials later reported an “active” plot by ISIS to attack a major Jewish school in Istanbul, which is also a synagogue. They say the plot is still ongoing, and an attack could happen at any moment.

Early last week, an ISIS attack in Istanbul targeted a number of tourists, including several Israelis. Indications were that the Israeli tourists were being followed and were likely the primary target of the attack.

That sparked the initial warning, but more intelligence has emerged since then, with Turkish police also warning over the weekend that they believe ISIS is planning attacks against both Christians and Jews inside Turkey over the next few days.

Between ISIS, the ongoing Turkish war against the Kurds, and intermittent attacks by a Marxist-Leninist group, Turkey has no shortage of threats, and in recent weeks seems to be facing near constant threats of new bombings.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.