Cypriot media reported Saturday that an explosion occurred near the Israeli embassy in Nicosia. According to the report, one suspect was arrested, and three others were detained, all of them of Syrian descent. No damage or casualties were reported in the incident.
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After the explosion that occurred around 1:30 a.m., a piece of metal was found about 30 meters from the embassy, with explosive residue on it. Cypriot police called officers and bomb disposal experts to the scene, to examine the findings. According to estimates, the bomb was an improvised explosive device.
Cypriot police observed two people acting suspiciously in the area and at the same time saw two other people in a nearby car who were attempting to hide knives and a hammer. The car’s owner, a 21-year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an illegal weapon, and the others were detained for further questioning.
Since the outbreak of the war against Hamas, all Israeli embassies have been on heightened security alert, and five embassies were evacuated in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Bahrain, and Turkmenistan. In Jordan, thousands of demonstrators threatened to storm the Israeli embassy premises and were dispersed with tear gas by security forces.
The number of diplomats was reduced in several other Israeli embassies, and non-essential staff or families were asked to return to Israel. According to Turkish media, Israel evacuated its diplomats from Turkey and intended to bring back some of its diplomats in the country, but not all of them.
Additionally, the Foreign Ministry fully or partially closed 20 embassies around the world, including in Europe and South America, due to large demonstrations taking place in those countries. The closures are temporary and point-specific. In these countries, diplomats were instructed to stay in their homes and continue working from there, or transferred to other cities in the same country, that were considered safer.
At the beginning of the war, diplomats were prohibited from leaving their homes, which drew strong criticism from some, who said the demand was unreasonable. The ministry later toned down the directive and allowed diplomats to leave for necessary outings only.