Filipinos in Israel safe amid Iran tensions, says Israeli envoy
Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept missiles over Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, June 13, 2025. —AP Photo/Leo Correa
MANILA, Philippines — Israel Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss said on Saturday that Filipinos in Israel are “fine” and “feeling comfortable and safe” as they are waiting for the time to go home amidst the tensions escalating between the country and Iran.
In a Zoom conference media briefing on Saturday evening, Fluss said that the Israeli government is in close coordination with the Philippine embassy, as well as with the Filipinos in Israel.
READ: Iran fires back at Israel after strikes target nuclear facilities
“From what I hear, and I get some updates from friends in Israel, the messages I get is, generally speaking, they feel fine,” Fluss said, referring to the Filipinos who are currently in Israel.
“They are following the instructions. They feel safe, and they are getting basically the right appropriate hospitality from the Israeli counterparts. If it is OFWs (overseas Filipino workers), if it is tourists, if it is people there for training programs, so they are feeling comfortable and safe,” he added.
According to the Israeli envoy, some of the Filipinos in Israel are waiting to go back home to the Philippines. However, he said that “at the time being, it’s not possible.”
Despite this, Fluss said that the Filipinos understood the situation and have been following instructions from the Israeli government.
“From what I understand, and I very much appreciate it, there’s no panic, no pressure,” said Fluss.
The conflict between Israel and Iran has escalated after the latter fired back at the former with ballistic missiles on Friday.
Iran’s move, meanwhile, came after Israel launched airstrikes on the Islamic republic’s military and nuclear facilities.
With regard to this, the Department of Migrant Workers recently said that it is now on “heightened alert” to assist the Filipinos in the said conflicting countries.
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
