Taiwan raises travel advisories for Israel, Iran amid heightened tensions

Taipei, June 14 (CNA) Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Friday raised its travel advisories for Israel and Iran amid rapidly escalating tensions in the Middle East and urged Taiwanese nationals currently in Iran to leave immediately for their safety.

In a news release, MOFA said its travel advisory for Israel was raised to Level 3 -- the orange label -- advising Taiwanese nationals to avoid traveling there unless absolutely necessary.

MOFA last year raised the alert for the Israel-Lebanon border region to Level 4 -- the highest level of the four-tier system -- or the red label, due to frequent cross-border hostilities following rocket exchanges and Israeli airstrikes targeting Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.

Also on Friday, MOFA raised the alert for Iran to Level 4 (red), urging Taiwanese nationals staying in the Islamic country to leave as soon as possible.

The announcement came hours after Israel launched an airstrike against Iran, targeting the Iranian nuclear program, and some key government figures and nuclear scientists.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has justified the attacks by saying that it was about Israel's "survival," accusing Iran of accelerating its nuclear program in recent months.

International reactions to Israel's actions have been mixed.

While U.S. President Donald Trump called the Israel's strike "excellent" and warned there would be "more to come," other nations, including Germany and France, as well as the United Nations, have urged both sides to deescalate.

As of Saturday, Iran, which characterized the strike as a "declaration of war," had retaliated with missile targeting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

The tit-for-tat attacks between Israel and Iran have effectively plunged the ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran for a possible nuclear peace deal into uncertainty.

According to the latest data provided by MOFA, there are approximately 283 Taiwanese nationals in Israel, including its overseas staffers and their families, residents, and travelers, while there are seven Taiwanese nationals in Iran.

All of them are currently safe, MOFA said, adding that its overseas missions in Israel and Dubai, the latter of which also manages affairs in Iran, remain in close contact with the nationals and are ready to provide assistance if needed.

On Friday, MOFA also announced that its working holiday scheme for Israel, which had started accepting applications for the first time on June 1, was suspended immediately until further notice.

Taiwan and Israel signed a working holiday agreement in 2023, allowing up to 200 nationals aged 18 to 30 from each country to live and work in one another's country for up to one year.