Israel has completed preparations for a potential evacuation of tens of thousands of tourists in the event of a major security escalation with Iran, Tourism Ministry Director General Michael Itzhakov said Monday.

According to Itzhakov, Israel is ready to evacuate approximately 42,000 tourists currently in the country if an Iranian attack leads to airspace closures or other emergency conditions.

He said the Tourism Ministry began preparing for such a scenario about a month ago, following discussions with Tourism Minister Haim Katz, stressing that Israel needed to learn lessons from past crises — a reference to the 12-day war with Iran last June.

“This is general preparedness. We are not predicting trouble, but we want to be ready,” Itzhakov said. “The Tourism Ministry has created an internal procedure, and we want to provide certainty for tourists.”

Itzhakov explained that while official data from the Population and Immigration Authority estimates around 42,000 tourists are currently in Israel, the real number may be higher. He noted that Israelis with dual citizenship who enter the country on foreign passports may not be fully reflected in the data.

He said the ministry has developed detailed internal procedures to provide reassurance and logistical support to tourists in the event of an emergency, including a possible closure of Israeli airspace.

The Tourism Ministry is also preparing a multilingual communication system and a dedicated human operations center that will maintain direct contact with tourists if needed.

“The State of Israel has the phone number of those who enter the country; it’s not overly complicated,” Itzhakov said. “There are privacy and legal considerations, but most tourists are required to fill out a form upon entry.”

He added that the ministry is mapping the locations of tourists across the country, particularly those staying in hotels, in order to enable a rapid and organized response in an emergency.

The announcement comes amid rising regional tensions and growing concerns of a possible confrontation with Iran, as US President Donald Trump continues to weigh potential military action against the Iranian regime.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)