Courtesy CBSNews

Sri Lanka deployed troops and increased police patrols around a Jewish community center in a popular surfing town on Wednesday after the U.S. embassy warned American citizens of a possible attack on popular tourist sites in the area.

The stepped-up security and warning came after social media posts called for a boycott of Israeli-owned businesses in eastern Arugam Bay.

“The information was that a place called ‘Chabad House’ run by Israelis could be a target and we have taken measures to strengthen security,” said police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa.

He said there had recently been tensions between the Jewish tourists visiting Chabad House and the bay’s Muslim-majority population.

The army and the navy along with police commandos were deployed in the area to step up patrols and man roadblocks, he said.

Protests by local Muslim groups against Israel’s fighting of Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon have drawn support from the wider community in the predominantly Buddhist South Asian nation.

Israelis accounted for less than 1.5% of the 1.5 million tourists who visited the island in the first nine months of this year — or around 20,000 people altogether.

But Arugam Bay, a hotspot for surfing around 250 miles east of Colombo by road, is a popular destination for Israeli tourists.

In a rare notice of an imminent threat, the U.S. embassy in Colombo said Wednesday that it had “received credible information warning of an attack targeting popular tourist locations” in eastern Arugam Bay.

“Due to the serious risk posed by this threat, the Embassy imposed a travel restriction on Embassy personnel for Arugam Bay effective immediately and until further notice,” the embassy said, adding that “U.S. citizens are strongly urged to avoid the Arugam Bay area.”

Britain and Canada shared the U.S. warning on their own websites, while the Russian embassy advised its nationals to avoid crowded places while visiting the island.

Israel’s National Security Council meanwhile “raised the travel alert level for Sri Lanka due to credible terrorism threats at the tourist and coastal areas.”

Israel urged its citizens in Arugam Bay and other southern and western coastal areas to “leave the country or at least to the capital Colombo, where there is a high presence of local security forces.” The Level 4 travel alert included the Sri Lankan cities Ahangame, Galle, Hikkaduwa and Weligama. 

Along with Arugum Bay and the other coastal regions, Israel’s National Security Council raised the travel risk for the rest of Sri Lanka to Level 3. The National Security Council ranks travel warnings on a scale of 1 to 4, with warnings assigned Level 4 indicating a “high threat level” and warnings assigned Level 3 indicating a “moderate threat.” A place given the latter ranking means Israeli security recommends avoiding unnecessary travel to the destination.

“In addition, the NSC stresses that Israelis in Sri Lanka must exercise increased precaution,” the travel notice said. It urged citizens currently in Sri Lanka to “avoid openly exhibiting anything that could identify you as Israeli, such as t-shirts with Hebrew writing, or any symbol that discloses your religion or nationality.” 

Security officials also cautioned against “gatherings of Israeli citizens in public places where there is no security.”

New hotline

There have been no attacks in Sri Lanka since the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which killed 279 people, including 45 foreign nationals.

The coordinated attack against three luxury hotels and three churches was blamed on a local jihadist group that pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.

Tourism numbers fell sharply afterward, and took another hit during a 2022 economic meltdown that precipitated widespread civil unrest.

But foreign visitor numbers have picked up after an International Monetary Fund bailout last year helped stabilize the economy.

Following the U.S. embassy warning, police said they were unveiling a new security plan to protect tourists island-wide.

“In view of the war situation in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, the police, together with intelligence agencies, are working on a plan to protect tourists and resorts,” said a statement issued by the Sri Lanka Police.

It did not give details, but said a hotline had been established for tourists to alert authorities of any safety concerns.