The Israeli National Security Council suspects the explosion near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi to be a “possible terror attack”. In response, they have issued a travel advisory for Israeli citizens in India, urging them to avoid crowded places and places serving Westerners/Jews and Israelis.
New Delhi: The Israeli National Security Council has issued a travel advisory for its citizens in India, suspecting that an explosion near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi on Tuesday was “a possible terror attack”. No one was injured in the blast that occurred near the Israel embassy in the Chanakyapuri diplomatic enclave in New Delhi on Tuesday evening. Security agencies in Delhi were sent into a tizzy after receiving an emergency call reporting an ‘explosion’ near the Israel Embassy in Chanakyapuri. After an extensive search operation, reports confirmed to have found potential evidentiary exhibits, including a typed letter addressed to the Israeli Ambassador to India.
According to the eyewitness, the explosion occurred on an empty plot of land situated in front of the Central Training Hindi Institute and behind the Israel Embassy. Israeli embassy spokesperson Guy Nir said, “We can confirm that around 5:48 pm, there was a blast in close proximity to the embassy. Delhi Police and the security team are still investigating the situation.”
Advisory for Israeli nationals in India
- Israeli nationals have been warned to try to avoid going to crowded places (malls and markets) and places identified as serving Westerners/Jews and Israelis.
- They have also been urged to be on heightened alert in public places (including restaurants, hotels, pubs, etc).
- The recommendations also suggest avoiding openly displaying Israeli symbols, refraining from attending unsecured large-scale events, and avoiding publicising itineraries on social media as well as photographs and details of visits in real-time.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry, in a press statement earlier on Tuesday, said that there were no casualties in the explosion. “The incident is under investigation by the local authorities in full cooperation with the Israeli security forces”, the ministry said.
Soon after the explosion, which took place in a green belt area outside the Central Hindi Training Institute located near the embassy, teams of Delhi Police’s Special Cell, bomb disposal squad and fire department rushed to the spot. An almost three-hour-long search operation was carried out in the area.
A National Investigation Agency (NIA) team also examined the site, a senior police officer in New Delhi said. After the incident, security was further beefed up around the embassy and other Israeli establishments, according to officials.
Meanwhile, the police have reinforced security measures around the Chabad House in Paharganj where a large number of Israelis reside.
Earlier this month, the NSC warned Israelis to reconsider all their travel abroad and called on those who do need to travel overseas to avoid outward displays of their Jewish and Israeli identities amid rising antisemitism around the world amidst the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas militant group in Gaza.
In the past, too, the Israeli embassy and its staff have come under attack in New Delhi. There was an explosion outside the Israeli embassy in 2021 in which cars were damaged, but no casualties were reported.
In February 2012, the wife of an Israeli security staff at the embassy was injured in an attack on her car in New Delhi. Security has been high around the Israel embassy in New Delhi since the war between Israel and Hamas began earlier this year, security officials said.