The Delhi Police has tightened the security at the Israeli embassy and Chabad House in the national capital amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, according to reports.
The police deployed around the Israeli embassy in New Delhi and Chabad House in Chandni Chowk were ordered to maintain a tight vigil, PTI quoted an official as saying on Tuesday.
According to latest reports, the death toll in the conflict has neared 1,600, as of Tuesday morning.
The security measures were implemented in order to avoid any untoward incidents similar to the one that happened more than two years ago. In January 2021, a “very low IED device” was detonated near the Israeli embassy in Delhi, damaging nearby cars. But no injuries were reported in the blast.
In July, two Islamic terror suspects were arrested by the Maharashtra state Anti-Terrorism Squad for allegedly carrying out surveillance of the Nariman Chabad House in Mumbai and plotting a series of 26/11-like bombings.
The duo – identified as Mohammed Imran, 23, and Mohammed Yunus Saki, 24 – were reportedly found to be possessing explosives, drone equipment, laptops, and incriminating books written in Arabic. The ATS also recovered photos of the Chabad House in Mumbai and its GPS coordinates, the reports said.
Seven people were killed by gunmen at Nariman Chabad House in the 26/11 attacks in 2008.
With the conflict escalating, India's diplomatic missions in Israel's Tel Aviv and Gaza's Ramallah stated that efforts are on to ensure safety of stranded Indians and shared emergency contact numbers. About 18,000 Indian nationals are living and working in Israel and majority of them are caregivers. There are also about a thousand students, several IT professionals and diamond traders in the country, according to PTI.
On Saturday, reports said that a caregiver named Sheeja Anand, 40, from Kerala's Kannur, was injured after a rocket struck the house in Israel's Ashkelon where she was working. The woman has undergone multiple surgeries and is reportedly out of danger.
Air India has suspended Tel Aviv flights till October 14 in view of the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza.
