One suspected attackers were shot dead and two arrested while two police officers were wounded after a gunfight broke out near a building housing the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday.
“One of the three attackers was killed while the other two were captured alive with injuries,” Davut Gul, Governor of Istanbul, said.
Turkish authorities said the attackers had extremist ties.
“One of the individuals, who travelled to Istanbul from Izmit in a rented vehicle, has links to an organisation exploiting religion, while one of the two terrorists who are brothers has a record related to narcotics,” Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said.
No organisation has yet claimed responsibility. The attackers were wearing tactical uniforms and vests and carrying long-barrel weapons.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said none of its diplomats were in the building in Istanbul’s Besiktas district at the time. Its diplomatic mission has continued to be vacant since 2023 due to tense relations between Turkey and Israel as a result of the wars in Gaza and Iran.
After videos and photos of the clash were published on news sites and social media, the Turkish Radio and Television Supreme Council warned that “it is a legal obligation for all broadcasters to rely solely on statements from official authorities and to refrain from sharing footage from unverified sources”.
In December 2025, three Turkish police officers died and six Islamic State militants were killed in a gunbattle in Turkey’s Yalova province after a large-scale police operation was launched to thwart suspected plans to attack New Year celebrations.