Delhi IED blast: Israel Envoy thanks India, says 'grateful for heartwarming support'

Israeli Ambassador Ron Malka on January 30 thanked India for its ‘heartwarming support’ after Friday's terrorist attack outside the Israeli embassy in New Delhi as the two nations celebrated 29 jubilant years of diplomatic ties. “Our genuine friendship will continue to thrive,” the ambassador of Israel to India said in a tweet. He thanked ‘friends abroad’ for their support in the aftermath of the tragic event. 

The Indian authorities, meanwhile, have ramped up the investigations against Iranian nationals after retrieving a note that claimed the responsibility for the IED explosion. The content raised suspicions against Iran’s alleged involvement, as it cited the assassination of the architect of Iran’s nuclear program Mohsen Fakhrizadeh and Iranian military officer of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in the US commanded drone strike. The note addressed the Iranian officials as ‘martyrs’. 

Implying that the explosion was ‘Just a trailer’, the unidentified perpetrators of the crime in a letter warned: ‘We can end your life, anytime, anywhere". They added that the blast was intended to harm the Indian government and not Israel, according to a second claim that surfaced on messaging app Telegram by an unknown group, the Indian Police informed news broadcasting networks. Israeli spy agency Mossad, along with India’s National Intelligence Agency (NIA), launched a probe into the blast that occurred after an improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated some miles from Vijay Chowk. 

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Nations 'feel threatened'

Ahead of the deadly blast, VVIPS, including India’s President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had congregated at the Israeli embassy for the Indian military’s ‘Beating Retreat’ ceremony to commemorate the Israeli-Indian warm bilateral relations. Indian law enforcement, in a statement to the news agencies, claimed that the explosion was a 'terror attack’, citing the evidence from the blast scene. No casualties were reported.

In a live-streamed program, the Israeli broadcasters, including Channel 13 speculated Iranian involvement behind the attack. Israeli media called the bomb blast work of ‘sophisticated terror cell’ and a ‘very primitive’ one, condemning the Islamic Republic. In an exclusive televised interview with Republic Media Network, Israeli envoy Malka told Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami that “some nations or non-state organisations feel threatened by the India-Israel bilateral ties,” laying suspicion on its archfoe's involvement. Furthermore, he alleged, that the 'said nation' attempted to destabilise ties by planting threats in the region where two countries share strong ‘positive values’.  

Read: 'India-Israel Ties Targeted, Both Sides Investigating': Envoy Dr Ron Malka On Delhi Blast

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