Blast outside Israel embassy: No effort will be spared to find culprits, S Jaishankar tells Israeli foreign minister

New Delhi: Hours after a low intensity explosion took place outside the Israeli embassy in the heart of the national capital on Friday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi and assured him of “fullest protection” to his country’s diplomats and the mission. In a tweet, Jaishankar said India has taken the incident “very seriously” and that no effort will be spared to find the culprits. Friday also marked the 29th anniversary of the establishment of India-Israel full diplomatic ties. The Delhi Police said that the low-intensity improvised device went off at 5.05pm and that no one was injured in the explosion and there was no damage to any property. “Spoke just now to Israeli FM Gabi Ashkenazi about the explosion outside the Israeli Embassy. We take this very seriously. Assured him of the fullest protection for the Embassy and Israeli diplomats,” Jaishankar tweeted. “Matter is under investigation and no effort will be spared to find the culprits,” he said. Later in a video message, Israeli Ambassador Ron Malka said all the diplomats and their families are safe. “We are working with Indian authorities to find the perpetrators and the motive behind this attack. The incident happened on the 29th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the countries,” the Israeli embassy said in a statement. About Jaishankar’s conversation with the Israeli foreign minister, it said Ashkenazi thanked his Indian counterpart and promised full cooperation and any help required from Israel. “Alon Ushpiz, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, and India’s foreign secretary Harsh Shringla, also spoke and agreed to cooperate,” the embassy said. On Twitter, Ashkenazi said Jaishankar assured him that Indian authorities will continue to act “resolutely” to trace all those involved in the explosion. “The Indian FM assured me that the Indian authorities are committed to the security of all Israeli diplomatic staff and will continue to act resolutely to locate all those involved in the explosion. I thanked him and promised full cooperation and any help required from Israel,” he tweeted. The Israeli embassy said the Indian authorities probing the incident are in contact with the relevant Israeli authorities and both sides are cooperating in the investigation. In his video message, Malka mentioned about the “strong and warm” friendship between Israel and India and even talked about the full cooperation and support the embassy received from the local police and other relevant authorities. Sources said Secretary (Consular, Passport and Visa division) in the Ministry of External Affairs Sanjay Bhattacharyya spoke to Malka following the incident. The Delhi Police said that the low-intensity improvised device went off at 5.05pm and that no one was injured and there was no damage to any property. No injury to any person was reported, nor was there any damage to property except the glass panes of three vehicles parked nearby, a Delhi Police spokesperson said.