US and Israel Implicate Iran and Hezbollah in Bombings

The bombings of Jewish targets in Buenos Aires and London, which killed 116 people and injured 30, have raised concerns about a possible retaliatory strike by Israel. American and Israeli diplomats and intelligence officials have pointed fingers at the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group and the Government of Iran, suggesting that they were responsible for the attacks. Secretary of State Warren Christopher told a House committee that "groups like Hezbollah that wreak havoc and bloodshed must be defeated," while Foreign Minister Shimon Peres claimed that "there is no longer the slightest doubt that Iran stands behind the bombings." Israeli officials have taken strong security measures at their embassy in Washington and consular offices in New York.

Key Takeaways:

• The bombings of Jewish targets in Buenos Aires and London killed 116 people and injured 30, with the confirmed death toll in Buenos Aires standing at 96.
• American and Israeli diplomats and intelligence officials have implicated the Government of Iran and the Party of God (Hezbollah) in the bombings, suggesting that they were responsible for the attacks.
• The US and Israel have taken strong security measures at their embassies and consular offices in Washington and New York.
• Senior Clinton Administration officials and intelligence officers believe that the attacks were probable reprisals for an Israeli raid on a Party of God base in Lebanon last month.
• An American intelligence officer stated that Hezbollah has an "immediate cause of concern," while another officer noted that "if the Iranians are shown to have had a hand in these matters... they have a strategic motive" to disrupt the Arab-Israeli peace negotiations.

Statistics:

• 116 people killed in the bombings of Jewish targets in Buenos Aires and London.
• 30 people injured in the bombings.
• 96 confirmed deaths in Buenos Aires.
• 21 people killed in a possibly related bomb attack on a Panamanian airliner.
• Over 160 people injured or killed in the bombings and related attacks.

Sources:

• The New York Times, July 20, 1994.
• The Washington Post, July 20, 1994.
• The Jerusalem Post, July 20, 1994.