The Israeli foreign ministry said a drive-by shooting at the Israeli Embassy in Athens early Friday morning was “the result of Palestinian incitement against Israel,” which it claimed was led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Four people on two motorcycles fired shots at the embassy building in a northern suburb of Athens, according to a police official. Bullets were lodged in the walls and 54 spent bullet cases were found about 40 meters from the building, on a busy road junction that was closed to traffic for hours.
In a statement, the ministry condemned the attack, in which no one was injured, and blamed Abbas and pro-Palestinian groups for incitement “spread throughout the world.”
“The international community must condemn this continuing incitement which leads to these results,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nachshon.
Nachshon expressed Israel's appreciation to the Greek authorities for their close cooperation in investigating the incident. The Greek government condemned the incident.
“Any terrorist attack hitting at the heart of democracy hits at the heart of the country,” government spokeswoman Sofia Voultepsi said.
“The Greek government is fully determined to ensure the protection of all diplomatic missions in Greece,” a Foreign Ministry statement said. “Of course, particularly strong security and protection measures are in force at the Israeli embassy.”
Nobody claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred long before the building opened for business.