The UN Security Council on Saturday condemned the night-time gun attack on the Israeli embassy in Athens and stressed the need to catch the perpetrators.

In a unanimous statement, the 15-member council "condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack against the Embassy of Israel in Athens, Greece, on 12 December, involving dozens of shots fired at the Embassy building, and underlined the need to bring its perpetrators to justice."

Greek police have said a far-left group was likely responsible for Friday's attack, which saw the building sprayed with gunfire but no one hurt.

The Security Council praised the Greek government's swift investigation and "reaffirmed that terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, constitutes one of the most serious threats to peace and security.

"Any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivations, whenever and by whomsoever committed," it added.

Two Kalashnikovs used in the attack were used in a similar assault on the residence of the German ambassador last December by the far-left People's Fighter Group, a police source said in Athens.

The Israeli government blamed the attack on a "hate campaign" by Palestinian authorities over the death of a Palestinian official in a confrontation with Israeli soldiers in the West Bank on Wednesday.