Gunshots near Israeli consulate in Istanbul, three hit attackers and two wounded policemen

Gunshots were heard Tuesday near the Israeli consulate building in Istanbul.

The consulate is located in Istanbul's Besikta district. It remains unclear at this time whether the consulate was the target during the incident.

A spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry said the incident is under investigation and confirmed that the consulate currently has no personnel.

Three people were killed and two police officers were injured in the incident, media reports said.

According to Turkish television NTV and CNN's Turkish-language man, the three people killed were the attackers who were shot by Turkish security forces.

Reuters's first video footage showed a police officer pointing a gun and hiding while shooting. A person was seen covered in blood.

A strong presence of armed police is always held in the area near the Israeli consulate, Reuters noted. Television footage showed armed police patrolling in the area after the shooting.

Turkish Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said he has appointed three investigators to investigate the incident, acknowledging that it took place outside the Israeli consulate, while not commenting on whether the incident was antisemitic or antisionist in nature.

“Invention is being carried out carefully and in a multiplanetial way”, Gurlek wrote on X/Twitter.