United Kingdom Reissues Travel Alert for UAE, Warning of ‘Very Likely’ Terrorist Attacks on Jewish Targets

Latest Developments

British Government Issue Warning: The United Kingdom reissued a travel advisory for the United Arab Emirates on August 11, warning that “terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks” in the Gulf state. The Foreign Office statement referenced an August 8 alert by the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the U.S. Consulate General in Dubai, citing “information indicating threats toward the Jewish and Israeli communities in the UAE.” The British government had earlier issued a more generalized warning regarding travel to the United Arab Emirates, citing “increasing regional tensions” that could lead to “Israeli and Jewish-linked sites” becoming targets for terrorists.
Iran-backed Terrorists Driven to Avenge Operation Rising Lion: On July 31, the Israeli National Security Council urged citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the United Arab Emirates and exercise heightened caution, warning that Iran and its proxies Hezbollah and Hamas may seek revenge for Operation Rising Lion, which targeted Iran’s nuclear weapons program, in June. The council also warned of additional threats from anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian incitement that has “intensified since the start of Operation Iron Swords, and even more so in response to Hamas’[s] starvation campaign.” In response to the threats, Israel reportedly reduced staff at its Abu Dhabi embassy and the Dubai consulate as a precaution, though the missions’ services remain open.
14 Nations Condemn Iranian Plots: The United States, the United Kingdom, and 12 other nations released a statement on July 31 condemning a surge of attempts by “Iranian intelligence services to kill, kidnap, and harass people in Europe and North America.” The statement also asserted that Iran is seeking to collaborate with international criminal organizations “to target journalists, dissidents, Jewish citizens, and current and former officials.” The UK officials reported to have disrupted more than 20 Iran-linked plots to kidnap or kill individuals in the United Kingdom, including British nationals.

FDD Expert Response

“Iran is signaling that nowhere is off-limits for its terror machine — not even the United Arab Emirates, which has made an historic peace with Israel. This is Tehran’s way of trying to punish normalization and intimidate Arab states into cutting ties with Israel. It’s also a reminder that the Tehran regime’s terror reach is global.” — Mark Dubowitz, CEO

“While Iran and its network of clients struggle to strike the Jewish state directly, they look for softer targets of opportunity beyond Israel’s borders. The aim is to send a message that Israelis are not safe anywhere, turning the entire globe into a potential front. This is the strategy of a regime that avoids direct confrontation, waging a war of attrition by attacking Israeli citizens, symbols, and allies abroad instead.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

“Despite the Islamic Republic increasingly relying on criminal syndicates and terror groups to carry out assassination and abduction plots, its core operations abroad remain in the hands of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Ministry of Intelligence (MOI). With Washington having already designated the IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), Europe should follow suit. The United States should also supplement the MOI’s status from its current Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) listing to a full FTO designation to deliver a sharper deterrent to Tehran.” — Janatan Sayeh, Research Analyst