Israel officially asserted on Thursday that Hezbollah was responsible for Wednesday's terrorist attack against Israeli tourists in a resort area of Bulgaria. According to Reuters, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the suicide bombing of an airport bus in which five Israeli tourists and the Bulgarian driver were killed, in addition to the bomber, was carried out by the Iran-backed militant group. He promised that Israel would use "great force" to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Another Israeli government spokesman mentioned operational intelligence revealed through interrogating a Hezbollah member captured in Cyprus that predicted this type of attack as proof that Hezbollah, and therefore, Iran, bear responsibility for this attack.

A senior American official, speaking to the New York Times, confirmed Israel's conclusion, saying that the alleged operative was "acting under broad guidance" to attack an Israeli target if and when the opportunity presented itself. This instruction was given as a retaliation against the recent series of murders of Iranian scientists, widely believed to be the work of Israel, which it has neither confirmed nor denied.

The foreign minister of Bulgaria told the New York Times that his country would refrain from singling out a suspected person or group at this stage of their investigation.

 

Reach Executive Produccer Matt Pressberg here.

 

Watch Prime Minster Netanyahu's statement: