Israel military restricts soldiers from visiting Georgia, Azerbaijan amid fears of Iran retaliation

Israel’s military has restricted service members from travelling abroad amid fears that Iran may launch attacks or operations against them, particularly in countries such as Georgia and Azerbaijan.

According to the Israeli military today, Air Force chief, Major General Tomer Bar, issued a directive barring service members from traveling abroad, specifically directed to career officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) rather than conscripts or reservists.

Aside from that directive, the Israeli Kan news outlet reported that the military had also yesterday ordered all off-duty soldiers who are currently in Georgia or Azerbaijan – for vacation, family or any other reason – to immediately return to Israel.

It comes amid reports that, following recent assessments by Israeli authorities, the Occupation’s soldiers and personnel may increasingly be in danger in countries that are in close proximity to Iran, particularly at a time when Iran apparently aims to retaliate against Israel for its assassination of Palestinian Resistance group Hamas’s late political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran last month.

READ: Tense Israel in waiting as attack threat looms

According to Kan news, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) recently warned that, aside from preparing retaliation within Israel, it was “also considering the possibility of hitting targets outside Israel”.

There are also reports that Iran’s new President, Masoud Pezeshkian, is urging his colleagues and compatriots to retaliate to Haniyeh’s assassination through more covert methods, such as targeting suspected Mossad spy bases within the region. As one source quoted by the paper said, he “has suggested targeting somewhere related to Israel in the Republic of Azerbaijan or [Iraqi] Kurdistan, and to let these countries know before that and get done with the whole drama”.

Despite not directly commenting on the threats to service members in such countries near Iran, the Occupation’s military did reportedly state that it is “conducting threat assessments all the time, and updating accordingly the list of countries permitted for service members to enter”.

READ: Iran seeks to avoid harming Gaza ceasefire talks with retaliation for Haniyeh assassination