Major Terror Attacks Against Israeli
Embassies and Representatives Abroad

(Updated February 1999)

September 8, 1969: The Israeli embassies in the Hague and Bonn, and the Brussels office of Israel's El Al airline were attacked within minutes of each other, with bombs and grenades. Three El Al employees and a customer were injured in the Brussels attack, while none were hurt in the other two bombings.

May 4, 1970: Asuncion, Paraguay. Two armed Palestinians broke into the office of the Israeli Consulate and fired at the employees. An Israeli secretary, Edna Pe'er, was killed, and a local worker was injured. The perpetrators were apprehended and sentenced to long prison terms.

May 28, 1971: Istanbul, Turkey. Israeli Consul Efraim Elrom was assassinated. The Turkish Liberation Army claimed responsibility.

September 10, 1972: Brussels, Belgium. An employee of the Israeli Embassy was assaulted and wounded. Fatah/Black September claimed responsibility.

September 19, 1972: London, England. Agricultural counsellor/ attache Ami Shechori was killed by the explosion of a letter bomb sent to him. Black September claimed responsibility.

December 28, 1972: Bangkok, Thailand. The Israeli Embassy was taken over by four terrorists. Six embassy personnel were taken hostage, and were released by the terrorists 19 hours later.

July 1, 1973: Washington D.C. Yosef (Joe) Allon, air force attache in the Israeli Embassy in Washington, was shot to death outside his home.

November 13, 1979: Lisbon, Portugal. An attempt was made on the life of Israeli Ambassador Ephraim Eldar, who was wounded in the attack. A guard at the embassy was killed, and the ambassador's chauffeur and a local policeman were injured.

August 10, 1981: Two bombs were thrown at the Israeli embassy in Vienna in the early morning hours, injuring a 75-year old woman and damaging an adjoining house. Later the same day, two explosive devices went off outside the Israeli diplomatic mission in Athens, causing slight damage to the facility.

April 3, 1982: Paris, France. A young woman shot and killed Ya'acov Bar-Simantov, attache in the Israeli Embassy in Paris, outside his home. The Revolutionary Armed Factions of Lebanon claimed responsibility for the attack. The assailant succeeded in escaping.

June 4, 1982: London, England. Israeli Ambassador in Britain, Shlomo Argov, was shot in the head and seriously wounded when leaving a diplomatic affair in a hotel in the center of London. The three terrorists were apprehended, tried and sentenced to 30-35 years imprisonment.

September 23, 1982: Malta. The Israeli Charge d'Affaires in Malta Mrs. Esther Milo was almost kidnapped by a four-man group as she was about to enter her car. She was lightly injured and the attempt failed. The attack was attributed to the Abu Nidal terror group.

December 3, 1982: Quito, Ecuador. A bomb concealed in a suitcase exploded in the building housing the Israeli Embassy. Two local policemen were killed and a local woman was injured. The building suffered considerable damage. A local organization claimed responsibility.

December 23, 1982: Sydney, Australia. A bomb exploded in the Israeli Consulate building in Sydney. Two people, including a local employee, were wounded. The Abu Ibrahim faction claimed responsibility.

June 5, 1984: Cairo, Egypt. Security officer of the Israeli Embassy, Zvi Kedar, was wounded in the hand by a shot fired from a moving vehicle.

June 28, 1984: Colombo, Sri Lanka. A bomb was detontated near the hotel room occupied by the head of the Israeli Interest Section in Sri Lanka. The explosion caused damage to the room and its contents.

October 4, 1984: Cyprus. A car bomb exploded in the parking lot of the Israeli Embassy in Cyprus. The building suffered severe damage. The Abu Musa organization was responsible for the attack.

August 20, 1985: Cairo, Egypt. An employee of the Israeli Embassy, Albert Atrakchi, was shot and killed while driving in his car. His wife and an embassy secretary were wounded. Responsibility was claimed by the Islamic Jihad - the revolutionary organization of Egypt.

March 19, 1986: Cairo, Egypt. Eti Telor, wife of an employee in the Israeli Embassy in Cairo, was killed and three embassy employees were injured in an attack on their car, near the Israel pavilion at the Cairo Trade Fair.

February 16, 1988: Manila, Philippines: An explosive device was detonated outside the building housing the Israeli Embassy in Manila. There were no injuries.

May 1988: Attempt to attack the Israel Embassy in Nicosia Cyprus, using a car bomb, detonated a few hundred meters away, killing several policeman.

March 7, 1992: Ankara, Turkey. Ehud Sadan was killed by an explosive device attached to his car. The Islamic Jihad, Hizbullah and the Islamic Revenge Organization claimed responsibility.

March 17, 1992: Buenos Aires, Argentina. A terrorist bomb demolished the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Approximately 300 people were wounded and 28 killed, among them four Israelis embassy personnel, four local embassy employees, and scores of innocent Argentineans, including elderly residents of a nearby nursing home, and schoolchildren on a passing bus.

March 11, 1994: Bangkok, Thailand. A hi-jacked truck laden with explosives was intercepted on its way to an carry out an attack against the Israeli embassy in Bangkok, after hitting a local motorcycle. The terrorist fled the scene, and the body of the murdered driver was later found in the vehicle by local police.

July 26, 1994: London, England. A bomb exploded outside the Israeli Embassy in London. Several embassy personnel were injured.

September 22, 1997: Two Israeli embassy security personnel were injured in an attack in Amman, Jordan, while in the course of duty.

October 1, 1998: A grenade was found and safely dismantled outside the Israeli Embassy in Brussels.

February 17, 1999: Some 100 rioters broke into the Israeli Consulate General in Berlin, Germany, brandishing clubs, hammers, and iron bars. Israeli security guards shot and killed three of the rioters in self-defense after they took a woman hostage and tried to seize weapons.