By DPA
Nouakchott/Tel Aviv : Gunmen opened fire at the Israeli embassy in Mauritanian capital Nouakchott in the small hours of Friday, Israeli officials said.
The gunmen shouted “God is Great” in Arabic and engaged in a brief gun battle with Mauritanian soldiers guarding the embassy, Israeli ambassador to Mauritania Boaz Bismut said.
He said no one was injured at the embassy. But one person was injured outside, “apparently nearby”.
The ambassador said the gunfire at about 2.30 a.m. woke him and his staff.
The attack came after widespread demonstrations in the Islamic state against Israel’s blockade on the Gaza Strip, which the envoy said was widely covered in the local media in a “blunt and I would even say exaggerated” way.
The protesters demanded that Mauritania cut off its diplomatic ties with Israel. “All the people at the embassy, both Mauritanians and Israelis, are ok,” Bismut told Israel Radio.