One attacker was killed and two others were wounded on Tuesday in an exchange of fire with police near the building housing the Israeli consulate in Istanbul, the city’s governor was quoted by Reuters as saying.
Two police officers were lightly injured in the attack.
Gov. Davut Gül said at the scene that the assailants used rifles and pistols, adding that there have been no Israeli diplomatic staff at the mission for two and a half years, per the report.
Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftci said the perpetrators have been identified and arrived in Istanbul by a rental vehicle from Izmit, according to Agence France-Presse.
He added that one of the assailants was affiliated with an “organization that exploits the region,” the report said.
Israeli-Turkish relations have plunged to new lows in the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre and the ensuing war in Gaza, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emerging as one of the most vocal supporters of the Palestinian terror group.
