Servicemen attend the “RAPID TRIDENT-2021” military exercise at Ukraine’s International Peacekeeping Security Centre near Yavoriv in the Lviv region, Ukraine September 24, 2021. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

i24 News – Israel Foreign Ministry issued a travel warning for Ukraine on Friday due to the worsening crisis between Moscow and Kyiv.

The ministry also decided to evacuate the families of Israeli diplomats serving in the country.

“The foreign ministry also recommends that Israeli citizens planning to come to Ukraine consider refraining from doing so at this time,” the ministry said.

It advised Israeli citizens residing in Ukraine to “avoid approaching hotspots” in view of the “worsening situation.”

Unlike the United States and other Western countries, the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem refrained for weeks from issuing a travel warning to Ukraine and did not evacuate the families of Israeli diplomats from the country.

Yet on Friday, the invasion looked increasingly likely as Western leaders including US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and France’s President Emmanuel Macron warned of “deep and swift” sanctions in such event.