The National Security Council's Counterterrorism Bureau reiterated its travel warning to Turkey on Thursday, calling on all Israelis to "leave Istanbul due to plans by terrorist organizations to harm Israelis."
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Despite the repeated warning, however, this weekend, too, Israeli tourists are expected to visit the Turkish port city, albeit in far lower numbers. The Israelis who are in Turkey, meanwhile, are taking precautions to conceal their identities, such as not speaking Hebrew in public.
The NSC also advised Israelis in Istanbul to hide anything that could expose them as Israeli and to avoid customary "Israeli gathering spots."
On Tuesday, Channel 12 News reported that Israeli and Turkish authorities were closely collaborating to prevent Iranian terrorist cells from harming Israelis in the country, adding that there is massive police presence in tourism hotspots in Istanbul – a favorite destination for Israelis traveling to Turkey.
According to the report, earlier this week, an Israeli staying in Turkey reported that he narrowly escaped an abduction attempt, saying he got away only after fighting off his assailants. Details of the case have been placed under a media embargo.
The NSC cannot bar Israelis from flying to Turkey. With airlines reluctant to refund trips based on a travel advisory only, many Israelis have said they do not plan on canceling their trips.
Some Israelis, however, said aren't taking any chances and have decided to cut their trip short despite the cost of changing their tickets and cancelling hotel reservations.
The NSC, Mossad intelligence agency, and Israel Security Agency have formed a special task force to analyze intelligence concerning the Iranian threat to Israelis in Turkey.
"The pressure was too much, from family members and from friends who were really worried," says Zohar, who flew to Istanbul earlier this week with his partner. "Even though we didn't feel any sort of tension in the air, and the streets here are bustling, the news from Israel was the deciding factor. And regardless, our kids asked us to come back. They're also the ones who found us the tickets. All in all, it's not pleasant to walk around and wonder whether or not to speak Hebrew."
On İstiklal Avenue it's still possible to hear Israelis, but they are far fewer in number than early in the week. Keren and Yossi from Netanya, sitting in a restaurant, are less concerned about the situation but say that had they known about the travel warning prior to flying, they would have flown to a different destination.
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