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Summary At least six people were killed when a bomb exploded on a bus carrying Israeli youth in a Bulgarian.
A bomb exploded on a bus carrying Israeli youth in a Bulgarian resort Wednesday, killing at least six people and wounding 32, officials said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it an Iranian terror attack and promised a tough response.The explosion took place in the Black Sea city of Burgas, some 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of the capital, Sofia. TV images showed smoke billowing from the scene a parking lot at the local airport where the Israeli tourists had landed shortly before the blast. Several buses and cars were on fire near the shell of the exploded vehicle.Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, after being briefed by his Bulgarian counterpart, said the explosion was caused by a bomb placed on the bus. He said seven people died, but by Wednesday night the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry had placed the death toll at six and the number of wounded at 32 people.No group immediately claimed responsibility. But Israelis often have been targeted outside their country, and Wednesdays attack coincided with the 18th anniversary of the bombing of a Jewish community center in Argentina that killed 85 people.Israel suspects archrival Iran of being behind several of those assaults. The two nations have long been in dispute over the nature of Irans nuclear program. Israel has warned it will use military force to curb Irans program if it must because it believes Tehran wants atomic weapons a charge Iranian officials deny.The Israeli premier noted that Wednesdays attack followed similar attacks or attempted attacks in India, Georgia, Thailand and Kenya and Cyprus in recent months. He said that once again, all signs point to Iran, though he did not offer any evidence to back up the claim.This is an Iranian terror attack that is spreading across the world, Netanyahu said. Israel will react strongly to Irans terror.The White House, which has preferred to pursue sanctions and diplomatic pressure against Iran in the nuclear dispute, also strongly condemned the attack, with President Barack Obama calling it barbaric. British Foreign Secretary William Hague also condemned the attack and expressed condolences to the families of the victims.Tehran did not immediately issue any comment.
