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
Indonesia reaffirms Yemen’s territorial integrity, backs stability efforts amid tensions
- Statement comes after Saudi Arabia bombed a UAE weapons shipment at Yemeni port city
- Jakarta last week said it ‘appreciates’ Riyadh ‘working together’ with Yemen to restore stability
JAKARTA: Indonesia has called for respect for Yemen’s territorial integrity and commended efforts to maintain stability in the region, a day after Saudi Arabia bombed a weapons shipment from the UAE at a Yemeni port city that Riyadh said was intended for separatist forces.
Saudi Arabia carried out a “limited airstrike” at Yemen’s port city of Al-Mukalla in the southern province of Hadramout on Tuesday, following the arrival of an Emirati shipment that came amid heightened tensions linked to advances by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council in the war-torn country.
In a statement issued late on Wednesday, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it “appreciates further efforts by concerned parties to maintain stability and security,” particularly in the provinces of Hadramout and Al-Mahara.
“Indonesia reaffirms the importance of peaceful settlement through an inclusive and comprehensive political dialogue under the coordination of the United Nations and respecting Yemen’s legitimate government and territorial integrity,” Indonesia’s foreign affairs ministry said.
The latest statement comes after Jakarta said last week that it “appreciates the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as other relevant countries, working together with Yemeni stakeholders to de-escalate tensions and restore stability.”
Saudi Arabia leads the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, which includes the UAE and was established in 2015 to combat the Houthi rebels, who control most of northern Yemen.
Riyadh has been calling on the STC, which initially supported Yemen’s internationally recognized government against the Houthi rebels, to withdraw after it launched an offensive against the Saudi-backed government troops last month, seeking an independent state in the south.
Indonesia has also urged for “all parties to exercise restraint and avoid unilateral action that could impact security conditions,” and has previously said that the rising tensions in Yemen could “further deteriorate the security situation and exacerbate the suffering” of the Yemeni people.
Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country, maintains close ties with both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which are its main trade and investment partners in the Middle East.
