Israel’s ambassador to Zambia, Ofra Farhi, was mugged in front of her bodyguards on a street in the capital Lusaka last week, with robbers taking her diplomatic passport and mobile phone.
Local media said Ms Farhi was crossing a busy street on Friday when a car pulled up alongside her and the occupants grabbed her bag, which had an unspecified amount of cash.
She was treated at a local clinic and continued on to her scheduled meetings with local officials.
The ambassador said in a statement that though it is the kind of incident that can happen anywhere in the country, “Zambia is very safe and peaceful “and “very friendly to Israel”.
Zambian Foreign Minister Stanley Kakubo called Ms Farhi to reassure her of security.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen termed the incident as an example of the kind of dangers that diplomatic staff face “to serve the country”.
Besides Zambia, Ms Farhi also represents Israel in Zimbabwe and Botswana.
