Israel's India Embassy Beefs Up Security Fearing Iranian Attack, Report Says
An Israeli source told Iran International, a U.K.-based Iranian opposition channel, that Indian police carried out drills around the New Delhi embassy
Israel has beefed up security around its embassy in New Delhi following renewed fears of an attack by Iran-backed militants, U.K.-based Iran International News Channel reported on Saturday.
According to the opposition-affiliated channel, an Israeli source confirmed that Indian police and counter-terrorism units blocked off major streets around the Israeli embassy building and carried out drills. Local witnesses reported hearing the sounds of gunfire and explosions, according to Iran International.
The diplomatic mission was targeted with an explosion on January 29, 2021, which an investigation by Indian counterterrorism agencies pinned on a local Shi'a cell backed by Iran's Quds Force. A letter discovered at the scene of the attack claimed it was meant to avenge the assassination of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander Qasem Soleimani. The remotely-detonated explosion left no injures or casualties.
Last year's attack was not the first time Iran has targeted Israel in India. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard was behind a 2012 attack on the Israeli Embassy in New Delhi, according to an Indian police investigation at the time.
Now, the streets around the Israeli embassy in India have been outfitted with CCTV cameras and are under ongoing police patrols to prevent another attack.
Last week, the Mossad thwarted an Iranian assassination attempt against an Israeli consulate employee in Turkey, Israeli officials said. The alleged agent was detained in Turkey and interrogated on Iranian soil before leaving for his assignment, and was later released.
Iran International had earlier reported that an agent of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force had been commissioned to assassinate three people, among them the Israeli. The two other targets were a U.S. general in Germany and a journalist in France, allegedly.
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In a video that circulated online, a man identified as an Iranian national, Mansour Rasouli, admits that he was sent to Turkey by Iran to assassinate three Western targets.
Both the U.S. and Israel have been on high alert in recent months over the targeting of their national abroad. Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken informed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that “there is an ongoing threat against American officials both past and present” when asked about the Guards’ reported plot to assassinate former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other Trump administration officials.