In a Jewish news story that hearkens back to the cold war Israel and Iran are locked in an increasingly destructive shadow war. Last month’s attack on a group of Israeli tourists in Bulgaria was highly publicized but was by no means the only attack. Bomb plots against Israel diplomats or tourists have been defused in India, Cyprus and Thailand.
Israel is not taking these attacks lying down, however. In recent years the Israeli security apparatus have assassinated 4 Iranian nuclear scientists and carried out several cyber-attacks, though no officials will publicly acknowledge that fact.
Although officials around the globe are privately willing to credit attacks to Iran and Hezbollah or Israel, few do so publicly. Though the United States views Hezbollah and the Iranian Government as supporters of terrorism many nations do not, and are not willing to condemn attacks unless they are indisputably linked back to the guilty party. Many suspect the US is helping Israel in its campaign, though this is something the US will not admit.
This leaves all parties involved in a war that is something of an open secret. Government officials in Bulgaria for example are quick to privately acknowledge the Iran connection in the attack but have not done so publicly because of the potential friction it could cause in the diplomatic community.
