The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure announced Tuesday that the security level of Turkish-flagged ships visiting Israeli ports and navigating in the vicinity of these ports has been raised to the highest level, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.
The statement from the ministry pointed to the situation in the region due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
“Taking into consideration the developments in Israel, the security level for Turkish-flagged ships visiting this country's ports and navigating in the vicinity of the ports has been raised to 'level 3.' The process is closely monitored by the ministry,” the statement said.
Regarding the security levels, the first level classified as "normal" is in effect when normal activities of ships and port facilities are carried out.
"Security level 2 - Enhanced" indicates an increased risk of a security incident while "Security level 3 - Extraordinary" signifies the level applied when there is a potential or imminent risk of a security incident.
The Palestinian resistance group Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel early Saturday, firing a barrage of rockets and infiltrating Israel by land, air and sea.
It said the surprise attack was in response to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and increased settler violence against Palestinians.
In retaliation, the Israeli military launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza has risen to 765 according to the Gaza Health Ministry on Tuesday. The Israeli military said more than 900 people already have been killed in Israel, while thousands have been injured on both sides.
