US President Barack Obama urged Egyptian authorities on Saturday to protect the Israeli embassy in Cairo, following an attempt by a group of 3o protesters to ransack its offices.
Obama "reviewed the steps that the United States is taking at all levels to help resolve the situation without further violence, and to call on the Government of Egypt to honor its international obligations to safeguard the security of the Israeli Embassy," the president’s office said in a statement.
Earlier, Israel appealed for American help in guarding its Cairo embassy after Egyptian protesters stormed the building housing it on Friday.
A statement from Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said that in conversations with US counterpart Leon Panetta and Obama administration envoy Dennis Ross he had "asked them to protect the embassy from the demonstrators".
