Gunmen Open Fire Outside Israeli Consulate in Istanbul, Turkish Official Labels Attackers ‘Terrorists’

Armed attackers targeted the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday, resulting in one assailant dead, two others injured, and two police officers sustaining minor wounds following an exchange of gunfire, authorities reported.

Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci revealed on social media that the attackers had connections to “an organization that exploits religion.” In his post, Ciftci stated that authorities had identified all perpetrators, determining they had arrived in Istanbul from Izmit in a rental vehicle. He noted that two of the attackers were brothers, with one having a previous drug-related record.

The attack occurred in Istanbul’s financial district, where police officers were forced to draw weapons and take cover as gunfire echoed through the area for approximately ten minutes. The shooting took place near a permanent security checkpoint outside the building housing the Israeli Consulate.

Footage obtained by Reuters showed one of the attackers, dressed in dark clothing and carrying a backpack, moving between parked police vehicles while firing with both an automatic rifle and a handgun. Witnesses reported seeing at least one person covered in blood amid the glass towers in the heart of the city’s business district.

Istanbul Governor Davut Gul told reporters that no Israeli diplomatic staff were present at the consulate during the attack. He explained that Israeli diplomats had not been stationed at the facility for approximately two and a half years, since the beginning of the Hamas-Israel conflict in 2023, which severely strained Turkish-Israeli diplomatic relations.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed the absence of staff at the time of the incident.

U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack strongly condemned the attack, writing on social media: “The United States condemns in the strongest terms today’s attack on the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul. Attacks on diplomatic missions are attacks on the international order — and an assault on the principles that bind nations together. We commend Türkiye and Turkish security forces for their swift and decisive response.”

The incident occurred just after midday next to a major motorway, with gunfire echoing inside nearby bank headquarters where thousands of workers were on their lunch break. The area around the consulate has maintained a heavy police presence since 2023, when Israeli diplomats left Turkey due to security concerns following widespread pro-Palestinian protests.

Turkey’s relationship with Israel has deteriorated significantly since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict. The Turkish government, a vocal critic of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, recalled its ambassador from Israel in November 2023, effectively freezing diplomatic relations between the two nations.

This attack comes amid heightened tensions at diplomatic facilities across the region. Similar incidents have occurred at other locations, including the U.S. Consulate in Pakistan and a synagogue explosion in Belgium that prompted military deployment to protect Jewish sites.

Turkish security forces quickly cordoned off the area following the attack. Special police units were deployed to secure the scene, with officers standing guard around the perimeter of the consulate building as investigators gathered evidence.

The shooting marks another troubling incident in what has been a period of increasing security concerns for diplomatic missions throughout the region, particularly those associated with Israel and the United States, as tensions related to the ongoing Middle East conflict continue to reverberate globally.