Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Terrorists Strike Israelis On Vacation In Bulgaria With Multiple Casualties Reported

Israeli Prime Minister blames Iran for the blast in Bulgaria that killed at least three Israelis on vacation there. It follows repeated attempts to attack Israelis in other countries around the world in the past few months. The bombing occurred at at Sarafovo Airport in Burgas, Bulgaria, 400km east of Sofia.

At least 7 are now reported dead, and YNet indicates that it was a suicide bomber.
According to media reports, a suicide bomber boarded one of three buses shuttling Israeli tourists across the terminal at around 5:30 pm and then detonated an explosive vest. Bulgarian media said 44 people were on the vehicle at the time of the explosion. The Foreign Ministry has formed a team of experts that will fly to Burgas and assist local authorities in the investigation. The Israeli Embassy in Sofia has been mobilized and is ready to assist the team, which includes ZAKA disaster recovery officials, in identifying the victims and ensuring that the injured and other Israelis that were unharmed return to Israel as soon as possible.
My thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by this latest attack. The city is on the Black Sea and is a favorite summer destination for Israeli tourists. That's one of the reasons the location was targeted. At the same time, there have been reports that Hizbullah and/or Iran are looking to carry out still more attacks against Israelis and Israeli interests around the world. Bulgaria was among those countries where a threat was noted.

The attack occurred on the 18th anniversary of a deadly attack in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people at a Jewish Community Center. That attack was traced back to Hizbullah and Iran. It wouldn't surprise me that there's a Hizbullah/Iran link to today's attack.

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