Netanyahu: Response to terror must be international
Ambassador in Russia says no Israelis reported injured in airport bombing; FM sends Russian nation condolences on gov't behalf.
By JPOST.COM STAFF, ASSOCIATED PRESSdomodedovo blast 311(photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman asked the Israeli Ambassador in Moscow, Dorit Golender, Monday evening, to offer the Russian people and government condolences from the entire nation of Israel on the terror attack at the Domodedovo Airport.An explosion ripped through the international arrivals hall at Moscow's busiest airport on Monday, killing 35 people and wounding about 170, 20 of of which are in critical condition, officials said.RELATED:Explosion shakes Moscow airport; at least 35 deadGolender assured Lieberman that investigations conducted by local authorities confirmed that there were no Israelis among the injured in the attacks, and that all El-Al employees in the airport were safe. The foreign minister expressed that "the struggle against terror is a universal struggle that goes beyond borders; against extremists everywhere."Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu also offered his condolences Monday to the victims of the terrorist attack in Moscow.""Terror is international and the response to terror must also be international. If we join forces, the terrorists will not defeat us. We will defeat them and prevent their missions," Netanyahu said, speaking in the Knesset plenum.Russian investigators say a suicide bomber most likely carried out the attack that killed at least 35 people and wounded over 170 at Moscow's busiest airport.Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin says experts are now trying to identify the suspected bomber."From the preliminary information we have, it was a terror attack," Russian President Dimitry Medvedev told officials in a televised briefing. He ordered authorities to beef up security at Moscow's two other commercial airports and other transport facilities, including the subway system, the target of past terror attacks, adding that all state airports should be on emergency alert. The Kremlin has also announced that Medvedev canceled his trip, scheduled for Tuesday morning, to an international economic forum meeting in Davos, Sweden, in light of the bombing.US President Barack Obama condemned the explosion, calling it "an outrageous act of terrorism against the Russian people."
Although there have been repeated attacks on the Moscow subway and Russian trains — most blamed on Chechen militants — the bombing Monday was the first involving a Russian airport since 2004, when two suicide bombers were able to board planes at Domodedovo and blew themselves up in mid-air, killing all 90 people aboard the two flights.El-Al, the Israeli airline carrier, canceled all flights to Moscow from Ben-Gurion Airport Monday evening in light of the bombing, and announced that flights would resume Tuesday at 5:50 a.m.
