Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Tehran for the dual attacks against Israeli embassies in India and Georgia on Monday. “Iran, which is behind these attacks, is the greatest exporter of terrorism in the world,” Netanyahu said. “The Israeli government and its security forces will continue to work together with local security services against these terrorist actions.” Iran denied any connection to the incidents.
In New Delhi, an explosive device was reportedly stuck to the rear of a car by two people on a motorbike when that car was stopped at a traffic light. The device exploded and the car caught fire, harming two inside — the driver and the wife of Israel’s Defence attache. Two other people were injured as well. And in Tbilisi, the Georgian police prevented a similar incident when they defused a bomb found under an Israeli diplomat’s car.
Indian officials examine the Israeli Embassy car after the explosion in New Delhi. |
The attacks, seemingly coordinated, came one day after the fourth anniversary of Hezbollah military chief Imad Mughniyeh’s assassination. Last month, Israel raised its level of alert and notified delegates overseas of concerns that Iran and Hezbollah may be planning terrorist attacks. Shortly thereafter, attacks against Israelis abroad were thwarted in Azerbaijan and Thailand.
Many speculate that such attacks are revenge not only for Mughniyeh’s death but also for the mysterious deaths of five Iranian nuclear scientists over the past two years, as well as explosions in facilities related to Iran’s nuclear work. Whether or not there is a connection, as Iran continues down its path towards nuclear armament, Israeli and Iranian rhetoric against each other can only be expected to increase, and with it, the potential for more deadly strikes.
