The prospect of US air strikes against Iran would – not surprisingly – have a negative domino effect on travel to the Middle East, Global Guardian, an international security and medical services provider, said.
“Should the U.S. (or Israel) attack Iran, we see there being near immediate spillovers that will begin with the closing of airspaces, flight cancellations and airlines changing flight routes,” said Zev Faintuch, head of research and intelligence at Global Guardian.
“As global aviation hubs, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar will be the last to close their airspace, but if they do, it’s a strong indication that the conflict will be more wide-ranging than last summer.”
In terms of Middle East destinations that advisors sell travel to, Global Guardian categorizes Egypt as a medium-risk destination as a whole, “but its tourist enclaves, especially the luxury resorts, are moderate risk,” Faintuch said.
Although it also categorizes Jordan as a moderate risk destination, “unlike Egypt, Jordan may be directly impacted by a conflagration with Iran,” he added.
Israel, meanwhile, has been categorized by Global Guardian as a high-risk destination since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas.
“Since signs emerged that the US was preparing for military strikes on Iran, we have been recommending that folks defer from non-essential travel to Israel,” Faintuch said. “But, we still have clients with important business continuing to travel, and we will bring them to safety if the need arises, as we did after 10/7 and last June.”
Following the 12-day Iran-Israel war in June 2025, Global Guardian’s operations team initiated a region-wide response to evacuate travelers from the country.
With air space and borders closed over Israel and Jordan, the Global Guardian team used client data and geo-fencing technology to identify at-risk travelers and began outreach to provide intelligence, wellness checks and evacuation coordination,” Faintuch said. “Teams secured clearances, managed documentation and routed missions to the appropriate border crossings.”
In the end, Global Guardian was able to evacuate two travelers stranded at Ben Gurion Airport to Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, within 18 hours, and routed dual Israeli-American nationals stranded at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport to Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, within 18 hours
Global Guardian also moved a doctor from Israel to Egypt within 24 hours, “with advance border arrangements and onward transit to Cairo,” Faintuch said, adding that the company also arranged a bus to transport a group of 75 dual nationals to Jordan, and then onward to Rome via a Boeing 737.
So, what advice does Faintuch have for travel advisors booking travel to the Middle East?
“Understand your client’s particular risk profile based on identity factors – gender and ethnicity and Internet profile, etc.,” he said. “Read the news and look at your respective country’s travel advisories for the country.”
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