Did Jonah think that God exists only in Israel?

> The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great > city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come > up before me.” But **Jonah ran away from the Lord** and headed for > Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that > port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and **sailed for Tarshish to > flee from the Lord**. (Jonah 1:3 , NIV) Was Jonah **stupid** enough to think that God(YHWH) doesn't exist beyond the boundaries of Israel? What exactly was Jonah trying to do when he sailed away from Israel?