Israel concerned over 'terror offensive' in France: Lieberman

[JERUSALEM] Israel expressed concern on Friday over a "terror offensive" in France, where a gunman stormed a Paris kosher supermarket after the Charlie Hebdo magazine massacre and the killing of a policewoman.

"Israel is following the situation in Paris with concern," Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said in statement.

"The terrorist offensive taking place over the past three days is not only against the French people or France's Jews but against the entire free world."

At least two people were killed in Friday's standoff at the kosher supermarket in Porte de Vincennes, in eastern Paris, official sources said.

They said suspect Amedy Coulibaly, wanted over the killing of a policewoman Thursday, is holed up inside the shop and believed to have links to Cherif Kouachi, one of the Charlie Hebdo killers.

"This is another attempt by the forces of darkness of extremist Islam to impose fear and terror on the west, and the entire international community must stand determinedly as a bulwark against this terror," said Mr Lieberman.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had tweeted earlier that those fighting terrorism must not submit to fear.

"My message, in Paris and everywhere is that the first rule in the struggle against terrorism is to refuse to surrender to fear. Not to let them frighten us," he said on his official Twitter account.

AFP