Gunfight Outside Israeli Consulate in Istanbul: 1 Gunman Killed, 2 Police Lightly Injured

Agence France-Presse reported that Istanbul Governor Davut Gul confirmed the attack occurred around 12:15 PM local time, with one of the assailants killed on the spot. It is currently unknown whether the Israeli Consulate General was the target of this incident. Informed sources told AFP that "currently there are no Israeli diplomats in Turkey." The same source indicated that shortly after the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas's surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel, for security reasons, not only evacuated its diplomatic mission in Turkey but also withdrew all diplomatic personnel from the entire region. Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci stated that the attackers arrived in a rented vehicle from Izmit, approximately 86 kilometers from Istanbul, and claimed that one of them was connected to "organizations operating in the region." The Interior Ministry later stated that the killed gunman "had ties to a terrorist organization," and two police officers were "lightly injured." The remaining two attackers were brothers, one of whom had a prior drug record. Turkish officials did not disclose the organization the attackers belonged to, but local media reported it might be the radical jihadist group Islamic State. Islamic State militants had previously clashed with police in Yalova, approximately 90 kilometers from Istanbul, on the Sea of Marmara coast. Islamic State militants opened fire on police in Yalova last December, killing three police officers and injuring nine. (Compiler: He Hong-ru) 1150407