The Department of Foreign Affairs has issued a warning for 24 countries

The DFA has four levels of security ratings for foreign countries.

They say this is to ensure “a clear way for us to show you how safe or unsafe we believe a country may be to visit, and to help you to make informed decisions about overseas travel”.

There are 24 countries in the 'highest' level of warning, which means Irish citizens are advised against all travel.

Travelling to these countries may invalidate your travel insurance, or overseas health insurance.

There are also a number of countries which have been issued the second highest level of warning, which advises against non-essential travel.

Several Gulf States countries have recently been upgraded to this level following the outbreak of conflict after US and Israeli strikes on Iran.

This includes Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Other countries where non-essential travel is advised to be avoided include Cameroon, Chad, Cuba, Ecuador, Eritrea, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, North Korea, Mauritania and Nigeria.

Countries with a 'do not travel' warning

Afghanistan

Belarus

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Central African Republic

Democratic Republic of Congo

Haiti

Israel

Iran

Iraq

Lebanon

Libya

Mali

Myanmar/Burma

Niger

Palestine

Russia

Somalia

South Sudan

Sudan

Syria

Ukraine

Venezuela

Yemen