Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) on Sunday urged Israelis stuck overseas to stop planning overland returns through Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula or through Jordan, saying both regions remain under its highest, level-4 travel alert amid soaring regional tension following last week’s Iranian missile strikes and the ongoing closure of Ben-Gurion Airport.

“Because Ben-Gurion Airport has been shut since 12 June, some private initiatives are exploring flights into Sinai or Jordan and then overland travel to Israel,” the NSC said in a statement issued on Sunday. “We wish to clarify that Sinai and Jordan are subject to level-4 warnings that reflect a high terror threat, and we therefore recommend avoiding these areas. The warnings are even more relevant during the current period of heightened tension.”

The council advised Israelis abroad to wait for official updates from the Transportation Ministry about organized repatriation flights instead of attempting to cross land borders on their own.

Airport still closed

Ben-Gurion Airport, Israel’s main international gateway, was closed to all civilian traffic on Friday after Israel carried out retaliatory strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites. The Transportation Ministry has said the airspace will stay closed “until further notice,” with at least six hours’ warning before any reopening.

The shutdown has stranded tens of thousands of Israelis and foreign visitors. According to a Jerusalem Post explainer published Sunday, some travelers have looked at indirect routes – charter sailings to Cyprus, flights from Aqaba or Amman in Jordan, and flights from Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt – as possible ways home.

High-risk alternatives

Security officials, however, have long cautioned that both the Sinai and Jordan present elevated risks of terror activity. The NSC’s travel-warning map places the two regions in the red tier, meaning “avoid all travel.”

Sunday’s message tightened that guidance. Israelis already in Egypt or Jordan were urged to limit their stay, keep a low profile, and ensure their travel insurance covers high-risk areas, but the statement stressed that “the preferred course of action is to await repatriation flights organized by Israeli authorities.”

What happens next?

The Airport Authority is working with Israeli carriers on a phased plan to bring citizens home once airspace reopens, but no timetable has yet been confirmed. In the meantime, officials say the NSC’s guidance should be treated as binding.