The Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, 1 February, spoke to PM Narendra Modi over the low-intensity explosion that took place near the Israeli Embassy in New Delhi on Friday, and ‘thanked him for his government's efforts to safeguard Israeli representatives’ in the aftermath of the incident.
According to the official Twitter handle of the PM of Israel, PM Modi said that India is committed to the security of the people of Israel and added that ‘India would continue to cooperate with Israel in the fight against terrorism’.
A statement from India’s PMO said, “PM Modi assured PM Netanyahu that India accords the highest importance to the safety and security of Israeli diplomats and premises, and would deploy all its resources to find and punish the perpetrators.”
The statement also said that both the prime ministers expressed satisfaction about the close coordination between the two countries’ security agencies in this context, according to ANI.
The two leaders also discussed the possibility of cooperation in the production and supply of vaccines to Israel.
What Had Happened?
According to the police, a very ‘low intensity improvised device’ had gone off just after 5 pm on Friday in the vicinity of the Israel Embassy. They also said that no damage to property had occurred except for the window panes of three vehicles parked nearby.
The Abdul Kalam Road was then cordoned off. Three fire tenders were also rushed to the scene of the explosion.
Incidentally, the blast took place less than two kilometres from Vijay Chowk, where President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others were attending the Beating Retreat ceremony.
While no injuries were reported, Israel is treating it as a ‘terrorist incident’. The probe into the incident is underway, with samples collected from the spot by a crime investigation team on Saturday.
According to The Indian Express, preliminary forensic examination of the site revealed that the explosive used was PETN — a military grade explosive that has been used in the past by groups such as Al Qaeda for making bombs.
(With inputs from ANI and The Indian Express.)
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