On Wednesday, both the United States and Israel issued security alerts warning of a potential attack on tourist locations in a coastal area of Sri Lanka. The US Embassy alert stated that they had received credible information about a possible attack targeting popular tourist spots in the Arugam Bay area. As a precaution, the Embassy imposed a travel restriction on its personnel for Arugam Bay until further notice and strongly advised US citizens to avoid the area.
Israel's National Security Council also issued an alert urging Israeli citizens to leave Arugam Bay and the south and west coastal areas of Sri Lanka immediately. The travel advisory level for Sri Lanka was raised due to credible terrorism threats in tourist and coastal areas. Israeli citizens were recommended to either leave the mentioned areas or travel to the capital city, Colombo, where there is a heavier presence of local security forces.
The alerts did not provide specific details about the nature of the potential attack. It is worth noting that there have been protests in Sri Lanka against Israel's actions in Gaza, but the nation has not experienced any major terrorist attacks since the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which resulted in significant casualties.
Israeli citizens were also advised to avoid openly displaying anything that could identify them as Israeli, such as clothing with Hebrew writing or symbols revealing their religion or nationality. Both countries are taking these security alerts seriously to ensure the safety of their citizens traveling in Sri Lanka.
