Israel to France: Evacuate our Ivory Coast diplomats
FM Lieberman asks French to help evacuate diplomats from embassy after it was hit by stray bullets
The Foreign Ministry is working to evacuate the Israeli Embassy building in the Ivory Coast after it was hit by a stray bullet. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has approached his French counterpart Alain Juppe for help in evacuating Israeli diplomats from the site.
Heavy arms fire was heard across the city of Abidjan, where the embassy is located overnight, but on Thursday hundreds of people ventured out despite the dangers in search of water as UN helicopters circled in the air.
Several bullets hit the Israeli building which is situated only 900 meters from President Gbagbo's residence.
Foreigners leave Ivory Coast (Photo: AFP)
The Foreign Ministry plans on transferring the diplomats to another building in Abidjan rather than sending them out of the country.
The embassy employs four people and 18 Israelis reside in the city. According to the Foreign Ministry, the French army had previously offered Israeli residents to move to one of three camps for foreign citizens, but they preferred remaining in their homes.
France's foreign minister says French forces in Ivory Coast have rescued the Japanese Ambassador Yoshifumi Okamura and seven other Japanese diplomats from the violence-torn capital Abidjan.
Juppe says one of the rescued Japanese diplomats had been injured prior to being taken from the embassy to a secure location.
Ouattara has pleaded with the international community for months to intervene and remove Gbagbo by force, arguing he wouldn't leave any other way.
Associated Press contributed to the report
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