Israelis safe after mob attacks embassy in Cairo
  • 12 years ago
The peace agreement between Israel and Egypt will be maintained Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Saturday night in response to the raging mob that broke into Israel's Embassy in Cairo, destroying the property and seizing documents.. Egyptian Information Minister Osama Hassan Heikal condemned the attack on the embassy and said all those involved would be brought to justice. He made the announcement in a televised statement after Israel, the United States, France, Britain and other countries criticized the storming of the tower that houses the Israeli embassy. Some one thousand protesters on Friday night broke down the recently constructed wall surrounding the building that houses the Israeli Embassy in Cairo, threw firebombs and forced their way into the building reaching the upper floors of the building where the embassy is located. They tore the Israeli flag from the pole and replaced it with an Egyptian one The scores of Egyptian security forces deployed outside the embassy stood watching powerless as the raging mob broke their way into the building. In a televised press conference, Netanyahu said he worked with the Egyptian authorities and the United States to ensure all the Israeli staff members were able to leave unharmed. "I want to thank the U.S. President Barack Obama. He said he would do all could to help and he did. He used America's full weight to resolve the situation," Netanyahu said. Netanyahu also thanked the Egyptian authorities and the commandos. On Friday night hours after the protest outside the embassy began, Netanyahu ordered the Israeli ambassador and diplomats and their families to leave Egypt. Six security guards remained inside the embassy prepared to defend it. The prime minister was joined by the Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and the heads of the Mossad and Shin Bet and the Chief of Staff who monitored the unfolding of events from the situation room in the Foreign Ministry. The security guards inside the embassy maintained direct contact with Jerusalem throughout the night. After midnight the mob succeeded in entering the embassy and reached the bullet proof door that led to the room where the security guards were holed up in. Hours later the Egyptian commandos broke into the embassy, pushed back the mob and led the security guards to armored personnel carriers and they were taken to the airport. The guards arrived back in Israel early Saturday morning. Egyptian Information Minister Osama Hassan Heikal condemned the attack on the embassy and said all those involved would be brought to justice. He made the announcement in a televised statement after Israel, the United States, France, Britain and other countries criticized the storming of the tower that houses the Israeli embassy. 
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