Israeli Embassy Staff evacuate Egypt

Israel has pulled its embassy staff out of Egypt, as the outpouring of public protest against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's government shows no sign of remission. Helicopters evacuated the embassy staff to an Egyptian airbase on Friday, from where they were flown back to Tel Aviv. The evacuation came after a group of Egyptian demonstrators passed by the embassy building, according to the daily al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper. Reports also said that the Israeli ambassador himself has fled Egypt after the discovery by Egyptian security of a Mossad spy network in the capital Cairo. On Thursday, an Israeli minister, whose name was withheld, said Egyptian government forces will exercise force to rein in public protests as the country teeters on the brink of a Tunisia-style revolution. Egypt, which is widely regarded as the first Arab nation to seal a peace agreement with Israel three decades ago, remains one of Tel-Aviv's most important allies. Israel's Deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom told reporters on Thursday that Tel Aviv is closely monitoring the still-unfolding crisis in Egypt, and does not see a threat in its ties with the African state. The two sides have cooperated in imposing restrictions on Palestinians living in the impoverished occupied territories.