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, Reuters quoted the city’s governor 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.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry wrote in a post on X, “We strongly condemn the terrorist attack on the Israeli consulate in Istanbul today. We appreciate the Turkish security forces’ swift action in thwarting this attack.”
“Terror will not deter us,” it added, noting that Israeli missions around the world have been subjected to numerous threats and attacks.
Israeli-Turkish relations have plunged to new lows in the wake of the Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the ensuing war in Gaza, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emerging as one of the most vocal supporters of the Palestinian terror group.
