India investigating low-intensity explosion near Israeli embassy in New Delhi
New Delhi, Jan 29 (efe-epa).- An low-intensity explosion without any casualties was reported on Friday in the central part of the Indian capital close the embassy of Israel, although the nature of the blast – which coincided with the 29th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between India and Israel – remains unknown.
The incident took place a little before 6 pm on the APJ Abdul Kalam road in New Delhi, situated close to the city center, where the Israeli embassy is located, a police officer told reporters at the spot.
Delhi police spokesperson Anil Mittal told EFE that a police team had been deployed in the area after receiving an alert, without offering further details.
Local news broadcasters aired images of the street being closed for traffic by police officers and reported that the blast had only shattered the glass of some parked vehicles.
Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi after the explosion and said India was taking the incident seriously.
“Assured him of the fullest protection for the Embassy and Israeli diplomats. Matter is under investigation and no effort will be spared to find the culprits,” Jaishankar said in a tweet.
The Israeli embassy in India retweeted Jaishankar and Ashkenazi’s tweets but has so far not commented directly on the explosion, which took place on a day when the two countries were celebrating 29 years of diplomatic ties.
“Today we celebrate 29 years of India-Israel diplomatic relations. We wish our #GrowingPartnership a Happy Birthday,” the embassy had tweeted earlier on Friday.
The incident also took place less than two kilometers way from a place where a military ceremony attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind was underway.
The small explosion was similar to a blast triggered by a magnetic bomb attached to an Israeli diplomatic vehicle – carrying the defense attache’s wife – that took place in Delhi on Feb. 13, 2012, injuring four people.
The incident had coincided with the discovery of a similar device attached to an Israeli vehicle in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi. Israel had accused Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Iran of perpetrating the attacks at the time. EFE-EPA
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