Israel's Foreign Ministry is monitoring Israelis located in parts of Ethiopia where security conditions have sharply deteriorated, N12 reported Sunday. Exit options are being examined with local parties, based on developments on the ground.
The ministry has not said how many Israelis are in the affected areas.
The move follows a travel warning issued Friday advising Israelis to avoid all travel to the Tigray region until further notice. Ethiopian Airlines has suspended flights to and from the airports in Mekelle, Axum and Shire, and no date has been set for them to resume.
Israelis already in Tigray have been asked to limit nonessential movement and to avoid gatherings, demonstrations, military facilities and flashpoints. The ministry warned that conditions could change rapidly, with possible road closures, communications blackouts and disruption to transport and the ability to leave. It advised against intercity travel or any attempt to leave Tigray independently without first confirming that the route and destination are safe.
Israelis in the region are asked to send the Israeli Embassy in Addis Ababa their location and contact details and to keep them updated. The embassy can be reached at +251-11-619-5500 and the Foreign Ministry's situation room at 02-5303155.
The warnings come amid the most serious escalation in Ethiopia since the 2022 Pretoria peace deal ended the Tigray war. On September 20, seven armed movements announced a coalition called the Ethiopian People's Forces Alliance for Survival, committed to toppling Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government. The alliance includes the Tigray People's Liberation Front, the Amhara Fano National Movement and the Oromo Liberation Army. It launched a large-scale offensive on September 23 in the Tigray, Afar and Amhara regions.
Fighting has since spread along the Tigray–Afar border and into several parts of Amhara. Fano fighters said this weekend that they had seized more than 10 army trucks loaded with ammunition, machine guns and mortar shells.
This is not the first time Israel has had to act in Ethiopia's conflicts. In 2023, as Fano fighters battled government forces around Gondar, the Foreign Ministry held emergency assessments and coordinated the evacuation of Israelis from the area. Amhara is also home to members of the Jewish community in Gondar awaiting aliyah.
