Speaking in Singapore, where he is on a visit, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the attempted bombing in Bangkok proves that Iran and its proxies continue operating in the ways of terror. “Iran and Hizbollah are relentless terror elements who pose a danger to the stability of the region and the world,” he said in a statement.
A report in the Hindustan Time said that Israeli intelligence warned India of an imminent threat to Israeli establishments and individuals, giving them a list of about 50 Iranian nationals believed to be involved in the a plot.
Meanwhile, Thailand’s Foreign Ministry has contacted the Iranian government to find out if the Iranian men caught in the Bangkok bombings are on its terrorist watch list.
The bombs in Thailand came a day after Israeli diplomats were targeted in India and Georgia. In this case, too, Israel blamed Iran and its Lebanese allies, Hizbollah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also pointed the finger at Iran and Hizbollah. “In recent months, we have witnessed several attempts to attack Israeli citizens and Jews in several countries, including Azerbaijan, Thailand and others,” the Israeli leader said. “Iran and its proxy, Hizbollah, were behind all of these attempted attacks.”
Tehran, which has denied responsibility for the attacks in India and Georgia, has blamed Israel for those assassinations, contending that they are part of a violent campaign to stop its nuclear program.
Indian officials pledged to conduct a thorough investigation. If it is discovered that Tehran was involved in the case, India would be forced to take steps against Iran, one of its biggest trading partners.
While many Western powers are boycotting Iranian oil and have imposed sanctions on banking transactions with Iran, India has refused to do the same because it is heavily dependent on Iranian oil.