Car Bombs in India and Georgia Targeted Israeli Officials

Joji Philip Thomas
Alexander Abad-Santos 1,423 Views Feb 13, 2012

Update 11:00 a.m.: Iran's ambassador to India has denied claims that Iran was behind the attacks, reports the AP.

Update 9:30 a.m. : The AP is reporting that Israel's Prime Minister has blamed the car bomb that went off in New Delhi and attempted bombing in Georgia on Iran.  "In all those cases, the elements behind these attacks were Iran and its protege Hezbollah," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a BBC report Monday. The report adds that Israel's Foreign Ministry said it would be able to track down the people responsible for the bombs. 

Original: Israel has confirmed that a car bomb that went off at its embassy in New Delhi was targeting one of its diplomats, while another bomb near its embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia has been defused. Details are still coming in about the New Delhi blast, and according to the AP, the driver and the diplomat's wife were injured in the blast. Yaakov Katz, military correspondent for The Jerusalem Post, notes that the timing might be symbolic as today's bombs come one day after the fourth anniversary of  the assassination of Hezbollah military chief Imad Mughniyeh. Katz wrote last month that Israel had been on high alert for weeks now, and had actually issued a warning to Hezbollah about possible terror attacks this day.  

According to the AP, the car bomb in Georgia was found around 200 yards from Israel's embassy. The Israeli embassy in Tbilisi hasn't commented on the attempted bombing yet.  We'll keep this post updated as we learn of the details. 

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at aabadsantos at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.

Related Articles   More by Alexander Abad-Santos

The Tie That Still Binds Israel and Turkey: Trade

Bomb Explodes on a Bus in Tel Aviv

The Republican 2012 Field's Talking Point: Obama 'Betrayed' Israel

 

Anthony Weiner Covers Up a New Photo Scandal: Mistaking NYC for Pittsburgh

Anthony Weiner Is Beating the Tabloids at Their Own Game on His New Selfies

Elsewhere on the Web

User Comments

Please type your comment and click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be prompted to log in or register

  • The Atlantic Wire on Twitter
  • The Atlantic Wire RSS Feed
  • The Atlantic Wire iPhone App