Israel's Ehud Barak Blames Iran For Bangkok Bomb Attack

Israel Blames Iran For Thai Bomb Attack

Israel has blamed Iran for a series of bomb blasts in Bangkok, Thailand which injured five people, including the attacker who had his legs blown, according to reports.

An Iranian man was said to be behind three explosions in the Thai capital on Tuesday, after an identity tag was found near the scene.

Israel's defence minister Ehud Barak said the attack "proves once again that Iran and its proxies continue to operate in the ways of terror and the latest attacks are an exempt of that."

"Iran and Hezbollah are unrelenting terror elements endangering the stability of the region, and endangering the stability of the world," he said during a state visit to Singapore.

Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, accused the Iranian regime of orchestrating the attacks in Tbilisi and Delhi.

A Thai Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) official examines a backpack that was left on the bomb site by a suspected bomber in Bangkok

Tensions between Israel and Iran have been escalating in recent months following rumours of an impending Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.

According to a Thai government spokeswoman there was an explosion at the house in the Ekamai region of the city where the bomber was staying shortly before the Bangkok attack.

The bomber, who was spotted with a black bag, reportedly threw a first bomb at a taxi driver who refused to accept him as a passenger.

The police were called and when they moved in to arrest him he threw a second bomb, which rebounded off the tree. The bomber was identified as Sayed Murabi by one Thai TV station, but this has yet to be confirmed.

According to several local news reports, an identification card found in a bag close to the explosion indicated that the man was Iranian.

On Tuesday, an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman said there were no obvious signs that the targets of the Bangkok attacks were Israeli or Jewish, "but we can't rule out that possibility."

Last month, two Lebanese men, reportedly with ties to Hezbollah men were arrested in Thailand on suspicion of making a bomb.

Monday's attacks on the Israeli embassies followed a warning by the US against possible terrorist activity by the Iranian regime.

The blast in Delhi set a car on fire and injured four people, including a diplomat's wife. In Tbilisi, an embassy driver discovered a bomb on the underside of his car. No one was injured.

Shortly after the attacks in India and Georgia, Netanyahu said: "The elements behind these attacks were Iran and its protege, Hezbollah." He warned that Israel would "act with a strong hand".

Israel's foreign minister echoed Avigdor Lieberman echoed Netanyahu. He said the country knows "how to identify exactly who is responsible for the attack and who carried it out"."

However, Iran's ambassador to Delhi, Mehdi Nabizadeh, reportedly told the Iranian state news agency that "any terrorist attack is condemned and we strongly reject the untrue comments by an Israeli official."

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