Israel blames PA ‘incitement’ for Athens shooting

Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Friday said a drive-by shooting at the Israeli Embassy in Athens in the early morning was “the result of Palestinian incitement against Israel,” which it claimed was led by the Palestinian Authority.

In a statement, the ministry condemned the attack, in which no one was injured, and blamed PA leadership and pro-Palestinian groups for incitement “spread throughout the world.”

The Greek government condemned the incident.

“Any terrorist attack hitting at the heart of democracy hits at the heart of the country,” government spokeswoman Sofia Voultepsi told Reuters.

“The Greek government is fully determined to ensure the protection of all diplomatic missions in Greece,” a Foreign Ministry statement said. “Of course, particularly strong security and protection measures are in force at the Israeli embassy.”

Unknown attackers fired dozens of bullets at the facade of the embassy building.

Police said 54 bullet casings from an AK-47 assault rifle — a weapon favored by Greek anarchist militant groups — were recovered outside the embassy, on a busy road junction that was closed to traffic for hours.

Nobody claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred long before the building opened for business.

Police said the attackers were riding on at least one motorbike, and escaped after the attack, leaving the building pock-marked with bullet holes.

One year ago, a small left-wing terrorist group called “Popular Fighters” claimed responsibility for a similar gunfire attack outside the German ambassador’s residence in Athens, which caused no injury.