The Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) issued two travel alerts for Iran and Israel on Saturday and yesterday, raising both warnings to maximum Level 3.
The Travel Alert System issues warnings at three levels. According to the MGTO statement, Level 3 advises residents to “avoid travel” due to an extreme threat to safety. Level 2 advises to “reconsider non-essential travel” due to an elevated threat. Level 1 advises travellers to “exercise caution” due to an imminent threat.
MGTO urged Macau residents not to travel to Iran or Israel, and advised those currently in either country to heighten their security precautions and evacuate as soon as possible
According to the statement, residents who are currently in Middle Eastern countries or regions should strengthen their safety vigilance and closely follow the latest announcements from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to the statement, MGTO has also arranged for Macau’s three telecom operators to send SMS reminders to Macau smartphone users in the area, urging them to stay safe and, if necessary, contact the nearest Chinese embassy, the global consular assistance hotline, or the local tourism hotline.
Israel attacks Iran with United States
At 2:15 p.m. (Macau time) on Saturday, Israel announced its attack on Iran in cooperation with the United States. The attack involved the office of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran’s Pasteur Street. The ayatollah and several family members, including his granddaughter, were killed in the attack. Iran then launched missiles at Israel and fired missiles and drones at several Persian Gulf states hosting US military bases.
The Gulf states hosting US military bases comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia.
According to a Reuters’s story on Saturday evening, vessels have been receiving VHF transmissions from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards saying that “no ship is allowed to pass the Strait of Hormuz”.
The strait is the world’s most vital oil export route, which connects the biggest Gulf oil producers, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, with the Persian Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
At 4:23 p.m. yesterday, Iran confirmed that several of its senior commanders were killed in attacks launched by the United States and Israel against Iran. The deceased include the Minister of Defense, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
This table taken from the Macau Government Tourism Office’s (MGTO) official website shows a table explaining its three Alert Levels
