Bombers target Israelis in India, Georgia

NEW DELHI -- Israel blamed Iran yesterday for bomb attacks on its diplomats' cars in India and Georgia, heightening concerns that Israel might be moving closer to striking its archenemy.

Iran denied responsibility for the attacks, which appeared to mirror recent killings of Iranian nuclear scientists that Tehran has blamed on Israel.

The blast in New Delhi set a car ablaze and injured four people, including an Israeli Embassy driver and a diplomat's wife; the bomb in Georgia was discovered and safely defused.

"Iran is behind these attacks and it is the largest terror exporter in the world," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told lawmakers from his Likud Party.

The violence added further tension to one of the globe's most contentious standoffs. Iran has been accused of developing a nuclear weapons program that Israel says threatens the existence of the Jewish state. Tehran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

Comments by Israeli officials in recent weeks have raised fears Israel might be preparing to strike Iranian nuclear facilities. While Israel says it hopes that international sanctions can curb the nuclear program, leaders pointedly note that "all options are on the table" and have warned that, as Iran appears to move closer to weapons capability, time is running out for action.

Fearing an Israeli attack could set off a conflict across the region and send oil prices skyrocketing, U.S. and other Western countries have been pressing Israel to give sanctions more time.

Israeli military analyst Reuven Pedatzur said yesterday's action was unlikely to have any bearing on whether Israel does attack, calling it an "isolated incident" with rather low impact.

The attackers in India and Georgia appeared to have used "sticky bombs" attached to cars by magnets, similar to weapons used against Iran's nuclear officials. Netanyahu said Israel had thwarted attacks in recent months in Azerbaijan and Thailand and unspecified other countries.

"In all those cases, the elements behind these attacks were Iran and its protege, Hezbollah," Netanyahu said, referring to Iran's Lebanese proxy. He vowed to "act with a strong hand against international terror."