Following an explosion near its embassy in New Delhi on Tuesday evening, Israel has issued a “heightened alert in public places” warning to its residents in India. The event is purportedly the work of a gang swearing “revenge” for Israel’s activities in Gaza.
The National Security Headquarters (NSH) of Israel issued a travel alert on Tuesday, warning Israelis to avoid crowded venues such as malls and markets for fear of a “recurrence of the events.”
It also advised Israelis to avoid overtly displaying national symbols and revealing their vacation plans on social media. The explosion occurred near the Israeli mission in New Delhi.
According to Indian media, the incident was reported to the Delhi Fire Service by an unnamed caller about 6 p.m. The deputy chief of the mission, Ohad Nakash Kaynar, stated that no one was injured in the event. “Our security teams are working in full cooperation with local Delhi security, and they will investigate the matter further,” Kaynar said in a video message.
A special Delhi police team is probing the bomb site, which is thought to be an empty plot of land behind the Israeli Embassy in Chanakyapuri. According to India Today, two suspects were recognised in CCTV footage near the bomb scene, and authorities are analysing footage from other cameras to track them down.
According to authorities, a note addressed to the Israeli envoy was discovered near the scene, threatening “revenge” for Israel’s activities in Gaza. According to the report, a group calling itself ‘Sir Allah Resistance’ claimed credit for the blast.
On January 29, 2021, the 30th anniversary of India and Israel establishing full diplomatic relations, an explosion occurred near the Israeli Embassy. According to reports in the media, a letter addressed to the Israeli ambassador was also recovered near the blast site. Israel alleged the attack had been carried out by “terrorist” elements.
On February 13, 2012, an Israeli diplomat’s wife was injured in another attack in New Delhi when a bomb was hidden under her car. Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, accused Iran of being behind the attack, which Tehran rejected.
The current purported strike takes place against the backdrop of Israel’s continuous closure of Gaza, in retribution for an extraordinary onslaught on October 7 by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which killed hundreds of Israelis. According to the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Ministry of Health, 21,000 people have killed and almost 55,000 have been injured since Israel commenced its attack in the enclave.
New Delhi has emphasised the need of “diplomacy” while reaffirming its support for a two-state solution to the decades-old Israel-Palestine issue. Although Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first foreign leaders to condemn the Hamas strikes, which he labelled “terrorism,” he later expressed “shock” after an explosion killed hundreds of people at Gaza’s Al Ahli hospital.
