A terror organization called Jaish-ul-Hind, believed to be affiliated with Iran, has taken responsibility for Friday’s attack near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi, according to Indian media.
An explosion occurred near the embassy, Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirmed Friday. There were no casualties in the incident, and no damage was caused to the embassy building, the Foreign Ministry said.
The explosion damaged the window panes of three nearby parked cars, a Delhi police spokesman said in a statement. The site of the blast was quickly cordoned off by police.
Indian police said the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) and the impact from the blast is said to have been felt within a 20-25 meter radius, Indian media reported.
Watch | A minor blast took place outside the Israel embassy in central Delhi on Friday evening, the police have said, adding that no injuries had been reported.Read here: https://t.co/qYVC7Zos5h pic.twitter.com/uzjp6k22wB
— NDTV (@ndtv) January 29, 2021
On Saturday afternoon, Indian security forces investigating the explosion issued a request from the country’s Bureau of Immigration for any information on Iranian citizens who had recently entered the country, local media reported.
A few hours later, the India Today TV network reported that Indian security forces had interrogated several Iranian citizens suspected involvement, according to Walla.On Saturday night N12 reported that an Israeli intelligence official said that the attack was undoubtedly meant to hurt Israelis. "The terrorist attack was meant for us, there's no question about it," he told N12, adding that there's a strong link connecting Iran to the attack, explaining that it was probably carried out as revenge for the "deaths of Iranian martyrs."
The blast occurred shortly after 5 p.m., while Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were participating in a military ceremony a kilometer away.
A one-and-a-half-page-long letter was found at the scene promised Israel that this is just the “trailer,” India Today reported.
The letter went on to mention the late Iranian IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani and the late Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, calling the two men “martyrs.”
Soleimani was killed during an American drone airstrike ordered by then-US President Donald Trump. Israel is alleged to have been involved in the death of Fakhrizadeh.
Fakhrizadeh’s death was allegedly a direct attack by Israeli forces.
According to Indian media, Jaish-ul-Hind claimed responsibility for the attack in a chat on the messenger app Telegram. The group reportedly took pride in their alleged actions.
Telegram has yet to respond to The Jerusalem Post’s request for comment.
Israel is treating the explosion as a terrorist incident, an Israeli official said.
Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi spoke with his Indian counterpart Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who assured Ashkenazi of the “fullest protection for the embassy and Israeli diplomats.” He added that “no effort will be spared to find the culprits.”
Spoke just now to Israeli FM @Gabi_Ashkenazi about the explosion outside the Israeli Embassy. We take this very seriously. Assured him of the fullest protection for the Embassy and Israeli diplomats. Matter is under investigation and no effort will be spared to find the culprits.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) January 29, 2021
India’s National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval, also spoke by telephone with Israel’s National Security Council head Meir Ben-Shabbat, who updated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on India’s investigation efforts.
Netanyahu said he wanted to convey to Modi that “we have full confidence that the Indian authorities will carry out a thorough investigation of the incident, and ensure the safety of the Israelis and Jews who are there.”
“The foreign minister is being regularly updated on the incident and has instructed [officials on the ground] to take all necessary security measures,” the Indian foreign ministry said.
On February 13, 2012, two bombs were planted on Israeli diplomatic cars in New Delhi and Tbilisi, Georgia, targeting Israeli diplomats. The bomb in Tbilisi failed to detonate and was defused by Georgian police but the one in New Delhi exploded and wounded an embassy staffer. Israel later accused Iran of perpetrating the attacks.Minor blast near Israel embassy in Delhi, no one injured, say police. More information awaited. #IsraelEmbassy @DelhiPolice pic.twitter.com/DvhMJIw1mp
— India Ahead News (@IndiaAheadNews) January 29, 2021