Terror in New Delhi: Explosion outside Israel embassy

An explosion outside Israel’s embassy in India’s capital New Delhi caused no injuries but damaged cars Friday, local police reported.

Israeli authorities are reportedly treating the explosion as a suspected terrorist attack and security has been beefed up around Israeli diplomatic missions worldwide. 

Local police sealed off the area around the Israeli embassy after the explosion and bomb disposal experts took over the scene. 

In an official statement, Indian police described it as a “very low-intensity improvised device” that reportedly blew out the windows of three cars adjacent to the explosion area.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry released a statement confirming that no one was hurt in the blast. 

 “The incident is being investigated by Indian authorities who are in contact with the relevant Israeli officials,” the Israeli ministry stated. “The foreign minister is being updated regularly and has ordered all necessary security steps be taken.” 

Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi reportedly spoke to his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. 

“The Indian FM assured me that the Indian authorities are committed to the security of all Israeli diplomatic staff and will continue to act resolutely to locate all those involved in the explosion,” Ashkenazi wrote in a tweet. “I thanked him and promised full cooperation and any help required from Israel.” 

A low intensity Blast near Israel Embassy in #Delhi at Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Road. Fire department officials have moved to the spot and intelligence officials have started inspection. pic.twitter.com/2uXYlXwx6g

— INDIA NARRATIVE (@india_narrative) January 29, 2021

In a tweet, the Indian foreign minister stressed that India is committed to protecting the Israeli embassy staff and finding the perpetrators. 

“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.”

 While the identity of the culprits is still unknown, Israel will be looking at the Iranian regime as a top suspect. Following the assassination of the head of Iran’s nuclear program Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in November 2020, Tehran quickly blamed Israel and vowed revenge against the Jewish state. As a result, Israel decided to increase security around its diplomatic missions around the world. 

It was not the first time that Israeli diplomats in India were targeted by terrorism. On Feb. 13 2012, an Israeli embassy staffer in New Dehli was wounded by a car bomb planted on an Israeli diplomatic car. A second bomb was planted, but successfully defused, on an Israeli diplomatic car in the Georgian capital Tbilisi. The Israeli government accused Iran and its terrorist proxies of perpetrating the attacks on the Israeli diplomats. 

On March 17 1992, a car bomb outside the Israeli embassy in the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires killed 29 people and wounded another 250. Two years later, on July 18 1994, the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires was bombed, leaving 87 people killed and more than 100 people wounded. Iran’s terrorist proxy Hezbollah was later linked to both terrorist attacks in Argentina. The terrorist attacks in Buenos Aires were widely seen as revenge for Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah’s former chief Sheikh Abbas Musawi in Lebanon in 1992.