Russia advises against Mideast travel as Iranian threat stokes tensions

Russia on Thursday advised against travel to the Middle East and German airline Lufthansa extended a suspension of its flights to Tehran, as the region was kept on edge by Iran’s threat to retaliate against Israel for an attack in Syria.
Iran has vowed revenge for the April 1 airstrike on its embassy compound in Damascus which killed a top Iranian general and six other Iranian military officers, further escalating tensions in a region already convulsed by the Gaza war.
Russia’s foreign ministry told citizens they should refrain from travelling to the Middle East, especially to Israel, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.
“The tense situation in the Middle East region persists,” said the foreign ministry, which first issued such travel advice in October when it urged Russians not to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories after Hamas attacked Israel.
Conflict has spread across the region since the eruption of the Gaza war, with Iran-backed groups declaring support for the Palestinians waging attacks from Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq. Tehran has avoided any direct confrontation itself with Israel or the United States, whilst declaring support for its allies.