Turkey: Three Dead in Attack Near ‘Israeli’ Consulate in Istanbul

By Staff, Agencies

On Tuesday, three people were killed and two police officers injured in a shooting near the building housing the "Israeli" consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, according to local media reports.

The incident saw three attackers, who were “eliminated” by Turkish police, as confirmed by Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu.

In a video captured by Reuters, a police officer was seen drawing a weapon and seeking cover as gunshots rang out, with one individual visibly covered in blood.

The "Israeli" consulate is located on the seventh floor of a building in the Yapi Kredi Plaza on Buyukdere Street, a densely populated area with many businesses and thousands of workers nearby, as reported by Koseoglu.

Koseoglu spoke to an eyewitness who described the attackers arriving in a car, attempting to open fire, but were then engaged by security.

She also added that there are no "Israeli" diplomats at the consulate in Istanbul or the embassy in Ankara, with most of the staff being local employees.

Meanwhile, Turkish authorities have identified the attackers, who are linked to a religious group and have criminal backgrounds, describing the shooting as a “provocative act.”

The attack comes amid rising anti-"Israel" sentiment driven by the ongoing US-"Israeli" war on Iran and escalating tensions in the region.

The motivation behind the attack could be to harm Turkey’s regional prestige, provoke its involvement in the ongoing conflict, or undermine Istanbul’s role as a diplomatic mediator, according to journalist Mehmet Celik.

He highlighted that Turkey is currently in a "terror-free" period, pointing to recent disarmament efforts and developments in Syria.