The Israeli evacuation was ordered amid plans by the Islamic opposition
to recruit up to one million people to storm the embassy in Amman's Rabiyeh
district on late Sept. 15. Jordanian security forces, however, prevented
about 300 protesters from reaching the embassy and no major incident was
reported.
The sources said Israel's Foreign Ministry has maintained an alert for
the embassy in Jordan as well as others in Asia and Africa, Middle East Newsline reported. On Sept. 10,
about 1,000 Islamists attacked the Israeli embassy in Egypt and dozens of
them ransacked the offices. Egyptian commandos were sent to extricate six
Israeli security guards holed up in a room in the embassy.
The Islamic opposition has also demanded the ouster of the U.S. embassy
in Jordan. On Sept. 14, about 70 protesters torched the American and Israeli
flags outside the U.S. embassy in Amman.
The sources said Israel was expected to maintain a much smaller staff in
Amman until tensions dissipated. They said the Jordanian government has
assured Israel that the embassy would be protected.
"The Jordanians are very serious, because they understand that if the
Islamists succeed against the Israelis, then the current regime is next,"
the diplomat said.
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