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Al-Qaeda Claims Attack on Israel’s Embassy in Mauritania: Al Jazeera | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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DUBAI (AFP) – The Al-Qaeda terror group has claimed an attack on the Israeli embassy in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott, Al Jazeera television reported Sunday.

“Al-Qaeda claims the attack against the Israeli embassy buildings in Nouakchott,” the Qatar-based satellite channel announced on its screen without giving further details.

Three unidentified gunmen opened fire on the embassy Friday shortly after 2:00 am (0200 GMT), before fleeing as Mauritanian embassy guards immediately returned fire. No embassy staff were hurt but three French citizens were hit by stray bullets outside a nightclub a few metres (yards) from the embassy.

Together with Egypt and Jordan, Mauritania is only one of three Arab League nations with which Israel has full diplomatic relations.

Political pressure has however been increasing within the Islamic republic straddling the Maghreb and black sub-Saharan Africa, to sever the ties it established with the Jewish state in 1999.