NEW DELHI: The Israeli embassy in New Delhi was on high alert because of "threats" it had received, even before a small bomb went off outside the mission, its ambassador told AFP on Saturday.
The envoy, Ron Malka, said he was not surprised by Friday's attack, which caused no injuries but blew the windows out of three cars.
The road outside the embassy remained sealed off Saturday as forensic experts sought clues as to who was responsible for what Israeli officials in Jerusalem have said was terrorism.
Indian police have so far only described it as "a mischievous attempt to create a sensation."
"This could have ended differently in other circumstances, so we were fortunate," Malka said in a telephone interview.
"We are always prepared. Especially these last days, we raised the level of alert due to some threats," he added, without giving further details.
"We are not surprised."
Indian media reports said investigators had found an envelope with a letter addressed to the Israeli ambassador in the street.
The Indian Express newspaper reported that the letter described the low-intensity explosion as a "trailer" and made references to "Iranian martyrs" Qasem Soleimani and Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.
Soleimani, considered Iran's most powerful military commander, was killed in a US drone strike in January 2020.
Fakhrizadeh, one of the country's top nuclear scientists, was killed in November -- an assassination for which Iran blamed Israel.
In 2012, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Iran for a bomb attack on an Israeli diplomatic car in Delhi that injured at least three people.
Asked whether there was an Iranian link this time, Malka said: "Those non-state actors that are striving for destabilization in the region and the world don't like what is happening between Israel and India, that are striving for stability and peace.
"It might be a threat for them."
The device exploded as India and Israel marked the 29th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, and Malka said the timing was part of the investigation.
India's foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar spoke to his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi after the incident.
"We take this very seriously," Jaishankar said. "No effort will be spared to find the culprits."
The national security advisors of both countries have also held discussions.
Since establishing relations, India and Israel have become close and India is now one of the biggest buyers of Israeli weapons and defense equipment.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Israel in 2017, and Netanyahu made a return visit a year later.
Israeli embassy in Delhi on high alert before bomb blast — ambassador
https://arab.news/mvv22
Israeli embassy in Delhi on high alert before bomb blast — ambassador
- Indian media reports say investigators found a letter addressed to the Israeli ambassador that made references to 'Iranian martyrs'
- The Israeli envoy says the embassy was receiving threats before the bomb went off outside the mission on Friday
North Korea says it respects Iran’s choice of new supreme leader: KCNA
- North Korea, a longstanding US adversary, has previously condemned the US-Israeli attack on Iran an “illegal act of aggression”
- Defying US President Donald Trump’s desire to have a say in who runs Iran, the Islamic republic on Sunday named Mojtaba Khamenei to replace his father, longtime ruler Ali Khamenei, who died in an Israeli airstrike on February 28
SEOUL: North Korea respects Iran’s choice of new supreme leader, state media reported Wednesday, as it accused the United States and Israel of destroying regional peace.
“With regard to the recent official announcement that Iran’s Assembly of Experts elected the new leader of the Islamic Revolution, we respect the rights and choice of the Iranian people to elect their supreme leader,” an unnamed Foreign Ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying by state news agency KCNA.
Defying US President Donald Trump’s desire to have a say in who runs Iran, the Islamic republic on Sunday named Mojtaba Khamenei to replace his father, longtime ruler Ali Khamenei, who died in an Israeli airstrike on February 28.
North Korea, a longstanding US adversary, has previously condemned the US-Israeli attack on Iran an “illegal act of aggression.”
On Wednesday, the North Korean spokesperson reiterated that position, saying that the United States and Israel “are destroying the regional peace and security foundations and escalating instability worldwide.”
“Any rhetorical threats and military action, which violate the political system and territorial integrity of the relevant country, interfere in its internal affairs and openly advocate the attempt to overthrow its social system, deserve worldwide criticism and rejection as they can never be tolerated,” the spokesperson added.
In recent months, the Trump administration has mounted a push to revive high-level talks with Pyongyang, eyeing a potential summit between the US president and the North’s Kim Jong Un this year.
After largely ignoring those overtures for months, Kim recently said that the two nations could “get along” if Washington accepted Pyongyang’s nuclear status.
