US closes consulate in Turkey amid anti-Israel protests
Washington, Oct 18 (EFE).- The United States has temporarily closed its consulate in the Turkish city of Aldana amid demonstrations condemning Israel and the bombing of a hospital in Gaza that have rocked Turkey.
The consulate announced on its website that due to the protests, which are expected to continue “for the next several weeks,” it “will remain closed to the public until further notice.”
US government employees have also been instructed to minimize their travel and avoid the area where the consulate is located, according to the advisory.
Thousands of people took to the streets in Istanbul, Ankara and Adana on Tuesday night to express their rejection of the bombing of a hospital in Gaza that killed 471 people, according to the latest figures from the Health Ministry in Gaza, which is de facto run by the Islamist group Hamas.
Hamas immediately blamed Israel for the carnage, but the Israeli government attributed the explosion at the hospital to a failed rocket launched by Islamic Jihad, the second major armed group in Gaza.
US President Joe Biden has backed the Israeli version.
Protests in Turkey have left 63 people injured, including 43 police officers, Turkish authorities said Wednesday.
The US State Department also issued warnings for its diplomatic missions in Amman, Jordan, and Beirut, Lebanon, due to anti-Israel demonstrations.
Clashes even broke out between protesters and security forces outside the US Embassy in Beirut.EFE
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