Syrians try to bomb Israeli embassy in Cyprus

Four Syrians were arrested in connection to the explosion. 

By JNS

Cypriot police were on high alert early on Saturday after an improvised explosive device was thrown 30 meters away from Israel’s embassy in Nicosia.

The “homemade bomb” exploded around 1:30 a.m. local time.

Following the blast, two people walking near the Israeli mission were detained, as were two others in a car.

Police found two knives and a hammer inside the vehicle.

The four arrested are all Syrian nationals between the ages of 17 and 21.

Security at the embassy has been reinforced.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry is moving to evacuate diplomats from several countries in the Middle East amid threats to their safety due to the war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

In Egypt, a campaign to expel Israeli Ambassador Amira Oron went viral on social media, Maariv reported. According to Ynet, the Israeli diplomatic team in Cairo has since been recalled to Jerusalem.

On Thursday, Israel’s Kan public broadcaster reported that the embassy in Jordan was evacuated at the beginning of the war at the order of Foreign Minister Eli Cohen.

The Israeli embassy in Manama, Bahrain, was also evacuated after being inaugurated by Cohen just over a month ago.

Following calls for mass protest against Israel in Rabat and Casablanca, Israeli Ambassador to Morocco David Govrin returned to Israel with his staff, Kan said.

Earlier this week, dozens of demonstrators attempted to storm the Israeli embassy compound in the Jordanian capital of Amman, AFP reported. The rioters breached a security barrier and tried to advance towards the embassy, but security forces fired tear gas to disperse them, the wire service added.

Crowds also tried to set the Israeli diplomatic mission on fire.

Meanwhile, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called on “all humanity to take action to stop this unprecedented brutality in Gaza,” thousands attempted to storm the Israeli consulate in Istanbul.

Hamas terrorists killed at least 1,400 Israelis and wounded more than 4,500 in a massive offensive launched from Gaza on Oct. 7, which included the firing of thousands of rockets at Israel and the infiltration of the Jewish state by terrorist forces.

Protesters also gathered this week at the Israeli mission in The Hague in the Netherlands. Local media reported hundreds of Muslims chanted slogans including “Israel murderer” and “Allahu Akbar” while trampling on Israeli flags.

Protests also took place outside the diplomatic mission in Athens, while the Israeli and American embassies in Argentina were evacuated in response to bomb threats made by email.