DFA says Alert Level 3 for Filipinos in Israel, Iran no cause for panic

Smoke rises from a building of the Soroka hospital complex after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran in Beersheba, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the Alert Level 3 it raised for Filipinos in Israel and Iran was no cause for panic.

The DFA raised the crisis alert level on Friday night amid escalating tensions between the two Middle East countries.

“There is a lot of panic going on. There is a lot of worry going on. There is a lot of misinformation going on. And it’s in Manila, not in Tel Aviv,” DFA Assistant Secretary for Migration Robert Ferrer said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.

“If you ask most of our Filipinos in Tel Aviv, they are calm. They don’t want to go home. They believe in the Israeli system to protect them, to take care of them,” Ferrer added.

He explained that the DFA raised Alert Level 3 over Israel and Iran to prepare the Philippine government’s contingency plans “if the situation becomes worse.”

READ: DFA tells Filipinos in Israel, Iran to voluntarily repatriate

“Mandatory evacuations, which is Alert Level 4, is used for war zones, meaning untenable situations where no Filipinos should be in that place because you can’t live there,” DFA Undersecretary for Migration Affairs Eduardo De Vega said at the forum.

“Israel is not [a place you can’t live in]. If there are no missiles, there [are] offices, there [are] restaurants. Also Iran. Tehran is being attacked, but Iran is very big. It’s not like you can’t live in Iran. Of course, it’s unpleasant right now with the Israeli attacks,” De Vega added.

The DFA official further said they were acting on the recommendations of their ambassadors.

Ferrer and De Vega added that the Philippine embassies in Israel and Iran remained operational despite the ongoing conflict, based on reports they received from Ambassadors Aileen Mendiola and Robert Manalo, respectively.

READ: Filipinos seeking to return home from Israel now at 191, says official

Additionally, according to De Vega, the number of Filipinos seeking assistance to be repatriated has risen to 191.

He reiterated that overseas Filipinos and their families may seek assistance through its Middle East help desk reachable through its 1348 hotline.

Tensions escalated between the two Middle East countries when Israel launched preemptive strikes against military and nuclear facilities in Iran last June 13. /mr