Bulgaria says Hezbollah behind Burgas bombing

[Bosonic]

Source: Reuters

Two individuals with links to Lebanon's militant group Hezbollah were involved in a bomb attack on a bus in the Bulgarian resort of Burgas that killed five Israeli tourists last July, Bulgaria's interior minister said on Tuesday.

The conclusions of the Bulgarian investigation may open the way for the European Union to join the United States in branding the Iranian-backed Hezbollah a terrorist organization since there is now a clear connection to an attack on EU territory.

Three people were involved in the attack, two of whom had genuine passports from Australia and Canada, Tsvetan Tsvetanov told reporters after Bulgaria's national security council discussed the investigation.

"We have established that the two were members of the militant wing of Hezbollah," Tsvetanov said. "There is data showing the financing and connection between Hezbollah and the two suspects."

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/05/us-bulgaria-bombing-idUSBRE9140O020130205

[oberliner]

1. Is that an act of war by Lebanon against Israel?

What do folks think?

[iandhr]

2. I don't think the issue is Lebanon

Its highly unlikely the Lebanese government would direct an attack against Israeli citizens in Bulgaria.

Hezbollah's main backer is Iran because that's where they get a lot of their weapons from. As far as I am aware the Iranian government doesn't direct Hezbollah's actions because they don't want those attacks to be traced back to them and suffer reprisals as a result.

[Comrade Grumpy]

3. No, it's a tit-for-tat attack.

[Posteritatis]

5. The two are hardly mutually exclusive. (nt)

[Bosonic]

4. Canada says dual-national Canadian linked to Bulgaria bombing

A Canadian-Lebanese dual national was involved in the 2012 bombing of a tourist bus in Bulgaria that killed five Israeli tourists, Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird said on Tuesday.

Bulgaria accused Lebanese militant movement Hezbollah on Tuesday of carrying out the attack and said one of those involved had a genuine passport from Canada.

"I can confirm the individual in question is a dual national who resides in Lebanon ... . I believe they are at large," Baird told reporters, adding that he was not able to identify the person, who has Canadian and Lebanese citizenship.

Algerian authorities last month said a Canadian had coordinated a hostage-taking in a remote natural gas plant. Around 70 people died when Algerian troops ended the siege.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/05/us-bulgaria-bombing-canada-idUSBRE91416O20130205