Korea issues travel ban alert for border regions of Israel, Lebanon amid Mideast tensions
Rockets fired from Lebanon are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome air defense system, Sunday. AFP-Yonhap
Korea is banning travel to the border regions of Israel and Lebanon, and raising a travel advisory for part of Iran as the tensions of conflict have sharply escalated in the Middle East, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.
The Level 4 travel ban, the highest of the four-scale travel warning system, will be applied to the northern border region of Israel and Lebanon's southern border area, about 4 and 5 kilometers from the Blue Line, respectively, the ministry said. The changes will be effective from Wednesday.
The Blue Line is a temporary demarcation line dividing Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. It was drawn by the United Nations in 2000 to determine Israel's line of withdrawal from Lebanon.
Most of Israel and Lebanon had been under the Level 3 travel alert, which calls for people to leave the countries. The Gaza Strip and its border regions had already been issued the Level 4 travel warning.
A "special travel advisory," calling for people to cancel or postpone trips, will be issued for the rest of Iran.
Korea maintains the Level 3 alert, recommending departure from the country, for the Iranian regions bordering Turkey and Iraq, and three coastal provinces — Khuzestan, Bushehr and Hormozgan — in the Persian Gulf. (Yonhap)