Israeli PM says Iran behind India and georgia embassy bombs

Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu looks at documents during a Likud party meeting at the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah of involvement after bombers targeted staff at Israel's embassies in India and Georgia on Monday (February 13), wounding four people.

The New Delhi bomb wrecked a vehicle with diplomatic plates and Israel's parliamentary television channel said the wife of Israel's defence attaché and her driver were among four people hurt.

Israel's foreign minister said the Jewish State would not stand for such attacks,

"We can identify exactly who is responsible for the attack and who initiated it, and in keeping with diplomatic (manner), we not will not stand idly by," said Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

The Tbilisi bomb was defused safely by Georgian police.

Israel had put its foreign missions on especially high alert ahead of the Feb. 12 anniversary of the assassination, in 2008, of the military mastermind of Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas, Imad Moughniyeh.

Iranian-backed Hezbollah had vowed to avenge Moughniyeh's death in a Damascus car-bombing, blaming it on the Jewish state.

Israel is also believed to be locked in a wider covert war with Iran, whose nuclear programme has been beset by sabotage, including the unclaimed killings of several scientists.

"The elements behind these attacks were Iran and its proxy Hezbollah. Today we witnessed two additional attack attempts, (targeting) innocent civilians. In the first an Israeli national was injured in New Delhi, and in (a) second attack a local worker in the Israeli embassy in Georgia. Iran, which stands behind these attacks, is the largest exporter of terror in the world. The Israeli government and security forces will continue to act together with local security services against these acts of terror. We will continue to act systematically, with determination and forcefully against international terror emanating from Iran," said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

There was no immediate comment from Tehran or Beirut. The New Delhi blast took place some 500 metres from the official residence of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Georgian police prevented a similar incident, defusing a bomb found in a car of an Israeli embassy staff member. Thailand said last month it had arrested a Lebanese man who had links with Hezbollah and a confiscated cache of explosives.

Israel responded by urging its citizens to exercise caution while visiting Thailand.

Separately last month, authorities in Azerbaijan arrested two people suspected of plotting to attack Israel's ambassador and a local rabbi.