A drone strike in the European island nation of Cyprus brings the U.S.-Iran war to Europe.
As the Iran conflict nears the end of its first week, airports in several countries in the Gulf Region remain closed, and travel involving the region has reached a virtual standstill due to security and safety concerns. Americans have been advised by the State Department to avoid travel to, or immediately leave, 14 countries in the Middle East.
But will the hostilities spill over and affect travelers bound for Europe?
By one measure, they already have. The Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus was hit on March 2. A drone struck the Royal Air Force (RAF) base at Akrotiri, marking a technical first hit on the European continent. Later on Monday, Paphos airport was evacuated after an unusual object was identified on radar. Cypriot authorities later reported that two additional drones thought to be headed toward the bases were intercepted and stopped.
The incident led to the cancellation of several flights at Paphos and Larnaca airports, but the majority of flights are still operating, and the U.K. government has not issued an advisory against travel to the island. Notably, the State Department also ranks Cyprus in the lowest-risk category for American travelers.
On Wednesday, NATO forces intercepted a ballistic missile that Iran had fired at Turkey. While Cyprus is not a NATO member, Turkey is–and any attack could trigger NATO’s Article 5, the collective defense clause, meaning an attack on one NATO nation is an attack on all NATO nations, and could bring Europe into the war. Already, several European nations have begun positioning troops to protect their own interests.
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The State Department has also not updated any travel advisories for Europe since the beginning of the Iran conflict, but continues to monitor the security situations for potential impact on American travelers. Several European countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Denmark, are already rated Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution, largely on concerns that these countries are potential targets for outside terrorist activity.
Much of Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, including Norway, Finland, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece, are rated Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions.
It must be noted that the State Department issued a “worldwide caution” to all American travelers bound for any destination on February 28 because of the conflict, advising that all U.S. citizens should remain vigilant to threats.
Worldwide cautions are not uncommon, and the State Department has issued them on average once a year for most of this decade.
There have been instances when terrorism outside the Middle East is linked to regional conflict, most famously the attacks on September 11, 2001. Overall, however, large-scale terrorist attacks aimed at U.S. citizens in the United States or American travelers abroad are relatively infrequent, and some attempts have been unsuccessful.
There’s little to suggest that the security situation in Europe for American travelers has changed in the early days of this latest conflict. Travelers should monitor the U.S. State Department travel website for the latest updates and travel advisories, and consider travel insurance for their travels regardless of destination.
Travelers concerned about security threats during their travels can also subscribe to membership services like MedJet Horizon, which will evacuate them in the event of an emergency and provide security alerts and updates for regions at elevated risk.
It’s also worth noting that national security forces and intelligence departments tend to shift to higher alert levels when a conflict on the scale of the Iran war begins. National security forces analyze a range of intelligence to compile a risk profile for both travelers and day-to-day business in their jurisdictions; countries with close relations (such as the United States and many members of the European Union) tend to share risk assessments and intelligence briefings. Supranational law enforcement organizations such as Interpol and Europol also share intelligence with national governments.
Ultimately, it’s up to the traveler to stay informed about the security risks of their destination and to remain vigilant to keep themselves safe and secure throughout their travels.