Israel and the United States called Tuesday on Europe to take action against Hezbollah, after Bulgaria blamed the Iranian-backed Lebanese group for a July terrorist attack that killed five Israeli tourists in the eastern European country, dpa reported.
According to Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov, preliminary results of its investigations indicate that the bombing was organized by members of the Lebanese organization.
The blast on the parking lot of the airport in the Black Sea resort of Burgas killed five Israelis and a Bulgarian bus driver. The still unidentified bomber also died.
In the wake of the Bulgarian announcement, Israel, which has been pushing to have the EU declare Hezbollah a terrorist organization, called on Europe to "draw the necessary conclusions as to the true character of Hezbollah."
"This is yet a further corroboration of what we have already known, that Hezbollah and its Iranian patrons are orchestrating a worldwide campaign of terror that is spanning countries and continents," a statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
The US also urged Europe to disrupt Hezbollah's networks.
"We call on our European partners as well as other members of the international community to take proactive action to uncover Hezbollah's infrastructure and disrupt the group's financing schemes and operational networks in order to prevent future attacks," the White House said in a statement.
The office of White House press secretary Jay Carney also commended Bulgaria for its "professional and comprehensive" investigation into the "barbaric" attack.
Hezbollah poses a "real and growing threat not only to Europe, but to the rest of the world," the White House warned, as it pledged continuing support to Bulgaria in bringing the attackers to justice.