Israel’s diplomatic presence in India—the embassy in New Delhi and a consulate in Mumbai—closed down on April 5 for “security reasons”, as threats from Iran loomed large following the assassination in Damascus that has triggered fears among Israeli diplomats of “revenge attacks” .
India is among about 28 countries where the Israeli missions have been closed following a high alert that had been sounded by the Israeli foreign ministry in coordination with the Shin Bet, the country’s internal security wing.
The precautionary move in India is part of an order issued to Israeli embassies worldwide with some countries believed to be more vulnerable, sources said.
A decision hasn’t been taken yet whether the Israeli embassy in Delhi and consulate in Mumbai would be open as usual in the coming week, added the sources .
The fears of the Israeli diplomats range from attacks on the embassy compounds, on diplomats and on Israeli children who go to international schools.
The security concerns stem from Iranian threats after the killings of seven senior officials of Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC), including a top official Major General Mohammad Reza Zahedi in Syria on April 1. Iran leaders including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi had issued strong statements vowing retribution.
The assassination is being attributed to Israel. On Saturday, during the funeral ceremony of Gen Zahedi, Iran’s highest-ranking military commander Major General Mohammad Baqeri equated the April 1 attack as spelling the “suicide” of the Israeli dispensation.
The US media reported that the US had intelligence information that Iran was preparing for a “significant” attack that would target Israeli or US assets and that such an attack was believed to be “inevitable”. It was also reported that the attack expected to be within the week would include a “swarm of loitering drones and cruise missiles”. But that it was unknown from where the attack will be launched.
In India, Israeli diplomats and embassies have faced “terror” threats in the past. In 2012, there was an attack on Israeli diplomats in Delhi not far from the embassy on APJ Abdul Kalam road. An Israeli embassy car exploded when a magnetic bomb stuck to it went off injuring the wife of a diplomat besides three others.
Less than a decade later, in 2021, a crude bomb went off near the Israeli embassy.
With the ongoing Israel-Hamas war once more seeing the Israeli embassy in Delhi facing a high degree of threat, a low intensity blast took place in its vicinity in December 2023.
Indian intelligence sources are not ruling out the possibility of the tensions slowly spilling onto foreign soils. India is one of the key locations that could possibly become the target for a terror strike, sources said, adding that adequate steps are being taken to provide protection to Israeli diplomats and their families and secure Israeli assets on its soil .