Shooting Outside Israeli Consulate in Istanbul Kills at Least Two

Armed gunmen approached the building housing Israel's consulate in Istanbul's Besiktas District on Tuesday and opened fire on officers stationed there, triggering a gunfight that killed at least two of the attackers and left two Turkish police officers wounded.

Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci confirmed that three individuals "engaged in an armed clash with our police officers on duty in front of the Yapı Kredi Plaza Blocks in Istanbul" and were neutralized, adding that the two injured officers sustained minor wounds. Accounts varied on the outcome for the assailants: some Turkish media reported one killed and two captured with injuries, while other outlets cited a death toll of three attackers.

CNN Turk reported that police first asked the gunmen to stop as they approached the building and that a gunfight broke out after they refused to comply. The attackers were believed to have been attempting to reach the floor where Israeli diplomatic offices are located.

Turkish Justice Minister Akin Gurlek stated he assigned three investigators to look into the incident, acknowledging that it took place outside the Israeli consulate, while declining to comment on whether it was antisemitic or anti-Zionist in nature. "The investigation is being conducted meticulously and in a multifaceted manner," Gurlek wrote on X.

The consulate is located in a high-rise building, and officials said there are no Israeli diplomats present in Israeli missions in Turkey. Israel withdrew its diplomats amid security concerns and deteriorating relations with Turkey following the war in Gaza.

A member of the local Jewish community said the consulate has been closed for at least two years and is likely unstaffed, a detail confirmed by an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson who said the facility is currently unstaffed.

A strong armed police presence is always maintained in the area near the Israeli consulate, and television footage showed armed officers patrolling the vicinity after the shooting.

The attack unfolded amid severely strained Israeli-Turkish relations, a diplomatic rift that deepened following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza. Turkish authorities have launched a formal investigation, but the identity and affiliation of the three gunmen had not been publicly confirmed as of Tuesday afternoon.