The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has expressed condolences to the families of the victims of the bombing of an Israeli tourist bus today at Sarafovo Airport in Burgas, Bulgaria, which killed seven, and wounded more than thirty people, according to reports. Burgas is a popular destination for Israeli vacationers. Israeli security officials ordered Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport to postpone flights to 11 locations in Eastern Europe, Israeli media reported.

There is still confusion as to whether the blast was the result of a suicide bombing or a bomb placed with luggage in the bus. The Burgas Mayor, Dimitar Nikolov, has said that 33 Israeli tourists have been hospitalized, and nine other Israelis are still missing. The Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov has said that “Bulgaria will do all it can to clarify the circumstances of this terrible incident.” The Bulgarian opposition leader, Sergei Stenishev, expressed his condolences over the attack, saying that “there is nothing in the world that justifies killing innocent people. We cannot ignore the fact that Israel warned us this past winter that there is a chance that such an attack could take place” (Barak Ravid, Zohar Blumenkrantz, ‘ 7 reported killed in terror attack against Israelis in Bulgaria,’ Haaretz, July 18, 2012).

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Iran for attack, saying, “In the past months we saw Iranian attempts to attack Israelis in Thailand, India, Kenya and Cyprus …This is an Iranian terror offensive that is spreading throughout the world” (‘Israeli leader Netanyahu blames Iran for Bulgaria bus bombing,’ Los Angeles Times, July 18, 2012).

ZOA National Chairman of the Board Dr. Michael Goldblatt said, “The ZOA mourns this tragic loss of the victims’ lives who, it is almost certain, were attacked only because they were Jews. 

“We extend our most heartfelt condolences to the grieving families, and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured victims. We earnestly hope Israeli and international investigations will in due course identify and track down the attackers.”