Iran Denies Involvement In Bulgaria Attack

Iranian Ambassador to Bulgaria Gholamreza Baqeri said today that Iran "has nothing to do with the attack (on the Israelis in Bulgaria)" and Tehran is "against any form of terrorism and strongly condemns such actions." (RFERL, 8 February)

Baqeri’s comments follow an official Bulgarian report that said investigators had "well-grounded reasons" to suggest two men suspected in the 18 July attack were members of the Hezbollah.

Hezbollah, a close Iranian ally, is part of the Lebanese government and has denied any role in the attack.

File photo: A damaged bus is transported out of Burgas airport, Bulgaria, a day after a deadly suicide attack on the bus full of Israeli vacationers. (Impact Press Group/AP/CSM)

Bulgaria Implicates Hezbollah in July Attack on Israelis

Bulgaria’s Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov announced in Sofia today that two of the people behind the 18 July bombing which killed five Israeli tourists, a Bulgarian bus driver and the bomber, were believed to be members of the military wing of Hezbollah. (The New York times, 5 February)

Bulgarian investigators reportedly identified two of the plotters as a man with an Australian passport of Lebanese descent, believed to be the bomber, and a man with a Canadian passport. Both of the suspects lived in Lebanon.

Hezbollah has denied responsibility for the bombing. After the attack, Israel immediately blamed Hezbollah and Iran. The New York Times reports that the U.S. officials privately supported that view, based on intercepted communications.

European Union’s joint law enforcement agency, Europol, found that the attack had not been a suicide bombing, and the device had been remotely detonated. The fake Michigan driver’s license recovered at the scene had come from Lebanon, Europol said.

Photo credit: Bulgaria's Burgas airport on 18 July after an explosion on a bus carrying Israeli tourists outside the airport. (Reuters/NYTimes)

Israel PM Reiterates Accusation Against Iran on Bulgaria Bombing

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today said on CBS’s "Face the Nation" that last week's bombing in Bulgaria that killed five Israeli tourists was committed by Hezbollah with the support of Iran.

"We have unquestionable, fully-substantiated intelligence that this was done by Hezbollah backed by Iran," Netanyahu said. (CBS.com, 22 July)

"We've been witnessing over the last two years an Iranian-sponsored global campaign, along with its sidekick Hezbollah, to launch terror attacks against Israelis," Netanyahu added. "They've been doing this now around the world for the last year or two, basically getting away with murder, because nobody really pointed the finger." 

Meanwhile, the Bulgarian police is investigating two more suspects in the attack on the Israelis. The Bulgarian daily Standard Sunday quoted police sources as saying that the two suspects were to backup and control the suicide bomber at Burgas airport. The identity of the suicide bomber was still unclear.

Israel Blames Iran for Bulgaria Bus Attack

At least six Israeli tourists were killed and more than 30 wounded today in an attack on a bus at an airport in Bulgaria. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "all signs point to Iran."

“Israel will respond forcefully to Iranian terror,” Netanyahu said. “In the past few months we have seen attempts by Iran to harm Israelis in Thailand, India, Georgia, Kenya, Cyprus and other places.” (AFP, 18 July)

UPDATE: Iran's state TV calls the claim by Prime Minister Netanyahu of Iran’s involvement in the suicide attack in Bulgaria "ridiculous" and "sensational."