An interesting excerpt from
The Anchor Bible: Jonah by Jack M. Sasson (p. 80) regarding the ancient status of the crucial port of Yafo (aka Jaffo, Jaffa, or Joppa and adjacent to modern Tel Aviv) and its relationship to the book of Jonah (see Jonah 1:3 for first mention of Yafo):
As far as can be ascertained from historical records, Jaffa always remained outside Hebrew control. During the Assyrian period, Jaffa is listed as belonging to Ashkelon, a Philistine power, and it fell into Jewish hands apparently only during the rule of Simeon Maccabeus (1 Maccabees 12:34). The narrator of Jonah, therefore, must have chosen it knowing well its status, very likely intending to have the prophet seek escape from God's control even before boarding the Tarshish-bound ship.
