Tanks in Cairo streets
Photo: AP
Cairo: Israeli embassy may close
Though Foreign Ministry has no plan to evacuate tourists, El Al tries to arrange special flight
The Foreign Ministry says it is following closely the events in Egypt, where anti-government protests have been said to have left 74 people dead and around 2,000 wounded.
On Saturday morning the Israeli embassy in Cairo was left empty as workers do not generally arrive on the weekend, but authorities were debating whether to return to business as usual on Sunday.
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On Saturday morning riots reached the streets surrounding the embassy. Egyptian security forces are guarding the US and British embassies for fear that incidents such as those which occurred in Iran in 1979 would recur in Cairo.
In addition, an official at Cairo International Airport said El Al was trying to arrange a special flight Saturday to take roughly 200 Israeli tourists out of the country. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak with the media.
Between 1,500 and 2,000 travelers were at the two main departure terminals at the airport, most without reservations, trying to find flights out of the country. Tourist sites were closed, with forces blocking the main roads leading to the pyramids, al-Arabiya network reported.
The Foreign Ministry says it has no plans to evacuate Israeli tourists, but that it would reconsider if necessary. The ministry also issued a travel warning against Egypt and Sinai.
In the Sinai peninsula, clashes between Bedouins and security forces killed 12-16 people, according to Palestinian sources. The reports say members of both sides were killed.
Armed gangs in Rafah attacked government institutions in the city, the sources say, and in El-Arish protesters attacked police officers, killing four.
AP contributed to this report
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