The Attack on the Israeli Embassy
The most significant international incident involving Israel in Egypt occurred on September 9, 2011, when thousands of Egyptian protesters stormed the Israeli embassy building in Giza. They breached the concrete security wall surrounding the building before breaking in.
At the time of the attack, six embassy staff members took shelter in a secure room. They were later evacuated by an Egyptian commando unit following the personal intervention of U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta.
In the aftermath, 85 embassy staff members and their families were flown back to Israel. Only the Israeli deputy ambassador remained in Cairo, temporarily relocating to the U.S. Embassy.
The Attack Unfolds
At around 18:30, protesters began attempting to demolish the security wall with hammers and a battering ram.
This concrete barrier had been erected following intense protests outside the embassy in August 2011.
By 00:30 on September 10, the protesters succeeded in toppling the security wall. Around 01:00, they entered the building’s lobby and proceeded to ransack the premises, throwing documents and other materials from the windows onto the street below. Many of these documents were later analyzed and discussed in the Egyptian media.
Meanwhile, several embassy staff members remained inside a secure room, separated from the rioters by only a steel door.
At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the head of the Israeli security service, and other officials monitored the events in real time via surveillance cameras installed around the embassy.
It is estimated that nearly 3,000 protesters participated in breaching the security wall.
The Rescue and Aftermath
As soon as the protesters stormed the embassy, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak contacted U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, requesting assistance in evacuating the trapped embassy personnel.
In response, the U.S. pressured senior Egyptian officials to take action to protect the Israeli diplomats. A senior Egyptian security official later stated that Egyptian commandos were only dispatched after Israeli Ambassador Yitzhak Levanon personally contacted a member of Egypt’s ruling military council to request safe passage for the embassy staff.
Following American intervention, the Egyptian authorities finally deployed a commando unit that successfully extracted the six Israeli personnel.
By 02:40, the Israeli ambassador, 85 other diplomats, and their families arrived at the airport and were flown out of Egypt. The Israeli deputy ambassador remained in the country, moving into the U.S. Embassy. Meanwhile, rioters continued looting the embassy, burning tires, and setting Egyptian police vehicles on fire.
Eventually, police forces managed to restore order, dispersing the crowd with tear gas and warning shots. By the end of the night, Egyptian authorities reported nearly 1,000 injuries and three fatalities among the protesters.
Following the incident, Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Mossad chief Ephraim Halevy praised President Obama for his role in ensuring the safe evacuation of the embassy staff.
In response to the attack, the Egyptian army declared a state of alert.
Background
In 2011, Israeli-Egyptian relations deteriorated significantly after the ousting of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, reaching their lowest point since the 1979 peace agreement.
Egypt’s political instability turned the Israel-Egypt border into a hotspot for conflict, with increased militant activity in the Sinai Peninsula fueling unrest. Anti-Israel demonstrations in Egypt intensified.
On August 18, 2011, an armed terrorist squad infiltrated Israel from Egypt, approximately 12 km north of Eilat. The attackers carried out a series of deadly assaults, killing eight Israelis.
During the ensuing firefight between IDF forces and the terrorists, seven attackers were killed. However, five Egyptian soldiers also lost their lives, along with an IDF soldier and an IDF fighter.
The deaths of the Egyptian soldiers at the hands of Israeli forces sparked a wave of furious protests outside the Israeli embassy in Giza.
Personal Remark
The individual who oversaw this incident was once my employee. I was deeply impressed by his ability to handle such a challenging situation. His name, Yoni, holds particular significance for Prime Minister Netanyahu, as it is also the name of his late brother, who commanded the famous Operation Entebbe and was killed in action.
