Israel Matzav

Burgas terror bombing: All roads lead to Lebanon

The results of the Bulgarian investigation into last summer's terror attack on an Israeli tour bus at the airport in Burgas, Bulgaria, are expected to be released on Tuesday afternoon Israeli time, but the results are already leaking to the media. Unsurprisingly, Hezbullah and Iran were behind the attack.

The Commentator has exclusively learned that today, the Bulgarian government will implicate, though likely not name the terrorist group Hezbollah in its report on the 2012 bus bombing that has been the subject of much speculation over the past six months.

The Commentator has learned that both the German and French governments have both piled pressure on the Bulgarians to "use nuanced language" in the report, for fear that Bulgaria may be the focus of future attacks if Hezbollah is openly named.

The Bulgarian government, it has been stated by leading sources, has been informed through ‘back channels’ that there will be serious repercussions from Hezbollah if it is to publically and overtly name the group. This information comes despite strong pressure from the US government to make clear that the bombing was indeed the work of the Lebanese terrorist outfit.

To date, Hezbollah in its entirety is not proscribed by the United Kingdom, nor by the European Union, a move that it still not thought to be forthcoming despite the latest revelations.

You might recall that the US government has been putting a lot of pressure on the Europeans to declare Hezbullah, which both operates and raises funds in Europe, a designated terror organization, and that the Europeans had agreed to do so if the results of the Burgas investigation showed that Hezbullah was behind the attack. So why aren't the Europeans willing to accept the results?

France has troops with UNIFIL in Lebanon and fears that they will suffer reprisal attacks if they agree to ban Hezbullah in Europe.

Germany is said to have more than 900 Hezbullah operatives in its midst, including 'students' in its universities and drug dealers. Germany has been talking about banning Hezbullah for years, but is afraid to pull the trigger. They also have troops in UNIFIL.

And Britain has made the farcical distinction between Hezbullah's 'political' and 'military' wings and bans the 'military' wing while talking to the 'political' wing.

And you thought that only Belgium would hold out against designating Hezbullah a terrorist organization.

The Europeans are undermining American, Israeli, and European security by refusing to recognize that Hezbullah is a terrorist organization. But, incredibly, the Wall Street Journal implies that it's only Israel that wants Hezbullah banned.

But the report by Bulgaria's government, which is seen as an independent actor on Mideast affairs, could lend weight to an Israeli push to get the European Union to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, said European officials.

As noted, the report will not specifically name Hezbullah, which will give the Europeans cover to do nothing if they chose to do so. Nevertheless, the Europeans will be under pressure to react once the report is released.

A U.S. official said the White House will issue a statement following Bulgaria's release of the report.

The U.S. and Israel have accused Iran's elite military unit, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, of ordering a string of overseas terrorist attacks aimed at American and Israeli targets over the past two years, including in India, Thailand and Georgia.

Iran and Hezbollah have denied involvement in any of the international attacks. Tehran also has accused Israel of assassinating leading Iranian nuclear scientists, something the Jewish state has never confirmed nor denied.

Evidence of a Hezbollah-directed strike on EU territory could shift the perception of the Lebanese-Shiite group in Europe, which has resisted following Washington's decision to label it a terrorist organization.

If the Bulgarian report reaches a clear conclusion, a senior European diplomat said on Monday, "We will have to look very seriously at the options we have."

I find it amazing how little the Europeans have learned over the last 35 years.  They continue to believe that Arab-Islamic terrorism won't strike them if only they don't cower to it.

UPDATE 10:28 AM

Dr. Rusty hits the nail on the head (Hat Tip: Shy Guy). 

Isn't the clear implication here that terrorism does work? That at least some countries in Europe can be scared into policy decisions favored by the terrorists for fear of violence.

I think it does.

Of course, there is another explanation here. Namely, that France and Germany don't consider blowing up a bus full of Jews as "terrorism".

Nah, that could never happen.

Of course not....

Labels: Britain, Bulgaria, Europe, France, Germany, Hezbullah, Iran, Islamic terrorism

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:15 AM