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Israeli Diplomats Targeted in Dual Bomb Attacks

Jessica Menton | Feb 13, 2012 12:29pm EST | 1min:39sec

Israeli envoys in India and Georgia were targeted by bomb attacks on Monday. In New Delhi, a bomb planted in an embassy car injured the wife and driver of an Israeli diplomat. The car was said to be on its way to the Israeli embassy, which is near the Indian Prime Minister's residence, when the bomb was detonated.

"There was one attempted attack, and one successful, as it were," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Paul Hirschson told Reuters. "In both cases, the people concerned worked with the Israeli embassies."

While Israel has not released any details on the attacks, the bombings occurred a day after the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Imad Mughniyah. Mughniyah, one of the founders of Lebanon's Hezbollah, was killed on Feb. 12, 2008 in a car bombing in Damascus, Syria. Mughniyah had been connected to the 1992 Israeli embassy attack in Buenos Aires and the Second Lebanon War in 2006 -- the 34-day conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. He is believed to have been assassinated by Israeli's Mossad spy agency. Fearing a retaliation from Hezbollah, Israeli diplomats were put on alert ahead of the assassination.

"Diplomats worldwide have been ordered to check in and citizens currently overseas have been asked to do the same, reporting where they are and what their status is," the Jerusalem Post reported.

Hezbollah is backed by Iran, which may also want revenge for the death of a nuclear scientist last month. Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a director at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, was killed along with his driver in Tehran when unknown assailants attached and detonated a magnetic bomb to his car. Israel has been blamed for the attack.

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