Violence settles down in Egypt after attack on Israeli Embassy

From Mohamed Fadel Fahmy, For CNN

Cairo (CNN) -- Clashes in Cairo largely pacified Saturday, a day after an attack on the Israeli Embassy heightened tensions in Egypt and Israel.

Earlier Saturday, streets in Cairo looked like a war zone as violence intensified between security forces and protesters. Gunfire pierced the air as rocks, burning tires and fires from Molotov cocktails littered the streets.

The Ministry of Health reported 520 injuries after the clashes.

"A very difficult event is over," said a senior Israeli government official who is not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

The official said while Israelis are thankful to the Egyptians for their efforts to resolve the situation, "it cannot be brushed under the carpet. This was a serious violation of the conventions of diplomatic behavior."

The official added that American involvement in speaking with Egyptians about the situation was crucial.

Egyptian Cabinet members will meet in an emergency session Saturday to discuss the attack on the embassy, a government spokesman said.

The Israeli ambassador to Egypt left for Tel Aviv early Saturday, along with members of his family and staff as well as security guards, said Egyptian Army Lt. Col. Amr Imam.

All diplomatic personnel from the Israeli Embassy have either left or were in the process of leaving, the Israeli official said.

But one Israeli diplomat -- a deputy ambassador -- will stay in a secure location in Egypt becuse Israel wants to maintain a diplomatic presence in the country, he said.

On Friday, Egyptian protesters tore down a wall surrounding the building that houses the Israeli Embassy and entered its offices.

Once inside, the protesters threw papers bearing Hebrew from the windows and into the streets. The offices were empty because Friday is a weekend day in Egypt.

Initially, police and military forces took no action as demonstrators destroyed the wall that had protected the high-rise building. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said about 3,000 protesters had torn apart the wall.

An Egyptian commander at the embassy told CNN that security personnel had been ordered to avoid confrontations with protesters.

Police had been guarding the entrance to the building, which houses the embassy on the 12th floor and private dwellings on other floors.

The commander said the wall had been erected recently to protect the residents, not the Israeli Embassy.

Protesters cheered the demolition and chanted for the ouster of Israel's ambassador.

"There was a real concern for the lives of six embassy personnel who were trapped inside the embassy during the course of the attack," the Israeli official said. The six Israelis were able to escape after an Egyptian military operation and arrived in Israel on Saturday, officials said.

Since the revolution that ousted President Hosni Mubarak in February, many Egyptians have called for the end of diplomatic relations with the Jewish state. The two nations signed a peace treaty in 1979.

Egyptians have been angry about the killing of five Egyptian police officers by Israeli soldiers last month when Israel went after militants who had attacked civilians near the Israeli-Egyptian border.

The demonstrators were among thousands of Egyptians who took to the streets Friday.

Many protesters converged on Cairo's Tahrir Square to demand reforms in a turnout they had dubbed "correcting the path of the revolution."

Protesters at the square criticized the performance of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and the government in the wake of Mubarak's ouster. They want the abolishment of military tribunals, the establishment of minimum and maximum wages, permission for Egyptians abroad to vote in the coming elections and the announcement of dates for those elections.

Protesters are also calling for the removal of former ruling party members from banks, schools, universities and government institutions.

Mubarak is charged with corruption as well as ordering the killing of protesters to quash the uprising that ultimately ended his 30-year rule. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

CNN's Kevin Flower in Jerusalem contributed to this report