Hundreds of Egyptian activists have stormed the building housing Israel's embassy in Cairo. They threw embassy documents and its national flag from windows, while state television said on Saturday that Israel's envoy, his family and staff had been flown home.
According to Reuters, the Egyptian Interior Ministry said at least 450 protesters were wounded during a day of confrontations with police, who used teargas and fired in the air in a bid to disperse them. State television said 46 police were wounded.
The Cairo demonstrations continued on Saturday morning with police confronting at least 2,000 protesters near the embassy, a witness said.
Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama urged Egypt to ''honor its international obligations'' and protect the Israeli mission. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr to urge Egypt to meet its Vienna Convention obligations to protect diplomatic property, a senior State Department official said.
