The Israeli observer delegation to the African Union summit in Addis Ababa was ejected from Saturday's opening ceremony, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said, accusing South Africa and Algeria of a serious diplomatic violation.

According to the Walla news website, which first reported the incident, security guards approached the Israeli delegation during the opening ceremony and demanded that they leave.

The video shows the Israelis, led by Sharon Bar-Li, deputy director general of the Foreign Ministry for Africa, leaving after several minutes of discussion.

"Israel takes seriously the incident in which Deputy Ambassador for Africa Sharon Bar-Li was removed from the African Union hall despite her status as an accredited observer with badges," said ministry spokesman Lior Hayat.

"It is sad to see the African Union held hostage by a small number of extremist countries, such as Algeria and South Africa, driven by hatred and controlled by Iran," he said.

"We call on African countries to stand up against these actions, which are damaging to the African Union organization itself and the entire continent," Hayat added.