Unknown event in Buenos Aires area, Argentina on Wed 18th October 2023

On Wednesday, October 18, bomb threats were made against the Israeli and US embassies in Argentina. The Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires was evacuated amid significant police presence, according to AFP reporters. According to police sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the embassy received a threat via email to its diplomatic office.

A threat was also received by the US embassy in the posh Palermo area, where employees congregated outside until authorities let them to return, according to an AFP reporter.

Argentina is home to the largest Jewish community in Latin America, with over 250,000 Jews. The Jewish community has faced attacks such as the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center, which killed 85 people and injured 300. That attack occurred only two years after the Israeli embassy was bombed, killing 29 people and injuring 200 more.

Argentina is removing over 1,500 of its residents from Israel, following a deadly attack by Hamas militants on October 7 that killed approximately 1,400 people, the majority of whom were civilians. In reply, Israel launched an offensive in Gaza, killing 3,478 people, largely civilians, according to the Hamas-led health ministry.