The Israeli Foreign Ministry has issued a travel advisory, urging Israelis not to travel to Georgia due to the unstable situation in South Ossetia (reported HERE on YWN).

Officials on Sunday afternoon reported that some 200 Israelis are being evacuated and the remaining 100-200 Jews are being urged to leave as well. Jewish Agency and Foreign Ministry officials are working in tandem towards getting Jews out of the area.

Russia on Sunday stepped up its bombing of the area, which followed a Russian offensive on Friday when troops tried to take control of South Ossetia.

Georgia’s foreign minister on Saturday described the situation as a “state of war,” blaming Russia for the “massive military aggression.”

The White House has called for an immediate halt to the Russian bombings and a cessation of attacks.

For a number of years, Israel has been selling weapons to Georgia, as well as training its military forces. Defense Ministry officials met in Israel on Sunday to evaluate the situation, releasing a statement the events are being carefully monitored as they unfold.

Assisting in closing defense packages with Israel is Georgia’s Defense Minister, Davit Kezerashvili, a fluent Hebrew-speaker and former Israeli.

Deals were made for items including anti-aircraft and communications systems, as well as turrets for armored vehicles and communications systems. One of the people who profited from such arrangements is Roni Milo, a former Public Security Minister who represented Elbit. Gal Hirsch, a former IDF brigadier-general, one of the senior officers compelled to step down following the Second Lebanon War, also provided tactical training, working with Georgian military officials to establish commando units mimicking Israel’s Sayeret Matkal. He is a partner in a firm called Defensive Shield. There is also 61-year-old former IDF Major-General Yisrael Ziv, who heads a security consulting firm.

Foreign Ministry officials in Israel are calling on Israelis and Jews in the area to contract the situation room at 972-2-530-3155, or the Israeli embassy in Tbilisi.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)