Sri Lanka, June 16 -- The dispatch of Sri Lankans for work in Israel had come to a temporary halt because of tension flaring up in the Middle-East with Iran launching a barrage of ballistic missile attacks on the Israeli territory in retaliation, an official said.

Currently, there are around 20,000 Sri Lankans working in Israel in construction, caregiving, hospitality and agriculture sectors. The Sri Lankan Embassy in Tel Aviv has already informed the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) not to send Sri Lankans until tension eases off. A few hundreds Sri Lankans have qualified at the moment to come to Israel for work.

Sri Lankan authorities are concerned about the loss of employment opportunities in the region if tension escal...