MOSCOW, Russia - A mob looking for Israelis and Jews overran an airport in Russia's Caucasus republic of Dagestan on Sunday, after rumours spread that a flight was arriving from Israel.
The violence in the mostly Muslim region, which erupted amid the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, prompted Israel to call on Russia to protect its citizens.
Late on Sunday Rossavitsia announced that the airport had been"freed" from the mob and would remain closed until November 6. Other videos showed a crowd inside an airport terminal trying to break down doors as staff members tried to deter them. Earlier Sunday, Akhmed Dudayev, the minister of information in Dagestan's neighbour Chechnya, warned on Telegram against"provocations" and called for calm in the face of rising tensions in the Caucasus.
"At the same time, we urge residents of the republic not to succumb to provocations of destructive groups and not to create panic in society." Chechnya and Dagestan are two volatile republics in the Russian Caucasus, both of which have mainly Muslim populations.