A “loud blast” has gone off near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi with no casualties reported, Indian police say.
The Delhi Police said in a statement that a “loud” explosion went off near the Israeli Embassy in the Indian capital’s Chanakyapuri area on Tuesday evening, stressing that the blast did not kill or wound any staff members.
They added that they had already launched an investigation into its cause, as officials were still inspecting the area, which had been reopened to the general public.
“We can confirm that around 5:20 p.m. [local time] there was a blast at proximity to the embassy,” Israeli Embassy spokesperson Guy Nir told Reuters.
It has not been clear whether it was a bomb attack against Israel’s diplomatic mission in New Delhi.
The Israeli embassies across the world have been on alert amid a rise in attacks against the interests of the Israeli regime since it launched a brutal war on the besieged Gaza Strip early in October.
New Delhi police added that it found a letter addressed to the Israeli ambassador at an empty plot of land, just a few meters away from the embassy.
“All our workers are safe. Our diplomats are safe. Our security teams are working in full cooperation with the local Delhi security,” said Israel's deputy envoy Ohad Nakash Kaynar, in a video statement.
Following the incident, the police have increased security at the Chabad House in central Delhi's Paharganj area.
In January 2021, a low-intensity blast went off near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi without harming anyone.
The Israeli regime waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian Hamas resistance group carried out the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime’s atrocities against Palestinians.
Since the start of the US-backed offensive, the Israeli regime has killed more than 20,900 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 55,000 others. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under the rubble.