The Foreign Ministry formed a team of experts that flew to Burgas to assist local authorities in the investigation. The Israeli Embassy in Sofia has been mobilized and is ready to assist the team.
The bodies of the Israeli victims and all those wounded in the terror attack were flown home to Israel.
The victims:
- Maor Harush, 26, of Akko
- Yitzchak Kolangi, 28, of Petah Tikva
- Amir Menashe, 27, of Petah Tikva
- Elior Preis, 26, of Akko
- Kochava Shriki, 44, of Rishon Lezion
Mustafa Kyosov, 36, the bus driver, a Bulgarian Muslim from the village of Yurukovo in southwestern Bulgaria, died in the hospital two hours after the blast. He had worked for the bus company for two years. He was buried in his home village and is survived by his wife Emine and their 10-year-old daughter.
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Foreign Minister Liberman: "Hizbullah terrorists undertook this attack, aided by Iran's Revolutionary Guards."
FM Liberman spoke with his Bulgarian counterpart Nikolay Mladenov in relation to the explosion.
Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov: "Bulgaria will do everything in its power to clarify the causes of this terrible incident."
PM Netanyahu: "All signs point towards Iran. Over the last few months we have seen Iran's attempts to attack Israelis in Thailand, India, Georgia, Kenya, Cyprus and other countries. Exactly 18 years to the day after the horrendous attack on the Jewish Community Center in Argentina, deadly Iranian terrorism continues to strike at innocent people. This is a global Iranian terror onslaught and Israel will react firmly to it."
Smoke billows after blast at Bulgaria's Burgas airport (Photo: Reuters)
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and asked to convey his condolences over the deaths of the Israeli tourists in the terrorist attack in Burgas. He said that the attack was not only against Israelis but against Bulgaria as well. The two agreed that Israel and Bulgaria would cooperate closely in investigating the attack.
Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked Bulgarian Prime Minister Borissov and said that Iran and Hizbullah are conducting a campaign of terrorism against Israeli targets around the world.
US President Barack Obama called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and expressed his condolences over the deaths of Israelis in the terrorist attack in Bulgaria. The two agreed that Israel and the US would work together in investigating the attack.
Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked US President Obama for the call and said that Iran and Hizbullah are conducting a campaign of terrorism around the world. "Iran is a global terrorism state. It must bear the consequences," the Prime Minister said.
ZAKA rescue team at site of bombing in Burgas
Photos: Avigdor Stern (Courtesy ZAKA)
PM Netanyahu (July 19): "Yesterday's attack in Bulgaria was perpetrated by Hizbullah, Iran's leading terrorist proxy. This attack was part of a global campaign of terror carried out by Iran and Hezbollah. This terror campaign has reached a dozen countries on five continents. The world's leading powers should make it clear that Iran is the country that stands behind this terror campaign. Iran must be exposed by the international community as the premiere terrorist-supporting state that it is. And everything should be done to prevent Iran, the world's most dangerous regime, from developing the world's most dangerous weapons.
Israel is a strong country and the people of Israel are a strong people. We'll continue to fight the terrorists and to exact a heavy price from those who support them."
On July 19, the UN Security Council condemned the attack in Bulgaria:
The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack aimed at Israeli tourists that occurred in Bulgaria on 18 July, causing several deaths of Israeli and Bulgarian citizens and numerous injuries. They expressed their deep sympathy and sincere condolences to the victims of this heinous act and to their families...
The members of the Security Council underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism to justice, and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with all relevant authorities in this regard.