MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

30 years later, Israeli community in Buenos Aires pays tribute to those killed in embassy bombing

“Those responsible must be imprisoned and, for that, Israel promises all its cooperation,” said Ronen

Hezbollah was once again singled out as the organization behind the 1992 bombing of Israel's Embassy in Buenos Aires, a crime for which, after 30 years, nobody has ever been held accountable.

Ambassador Galit Ronen insisted during Thursday's ceremony held by the Argentine-Israeli Chamber of Commerce (CCAI) marking the 30th anniversary of the March 17, 1992 attack, that Hezbollah and Iran needed to be investigated if the 29 victims were to find any Justice.

The event was also attended by Israel's Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Gideon Sa'ar. Also speaking during the event was CCAI President Mario Montoto.

”Today is a sad, hard and difficult day. Today is the 30th anniversary of the Embassy bombing and today we have the presence of the Ministers of Justice of the [Argentine] Nation (Martín Soria), of the Province (Julio Alak), and of the City of Buenos Aires (Marcelo D'Alessandro) when we are demanding justice. We know the truth, we know the name and surname of those responsible. Their name is Hezbollah, their last name is Iran. Those responsible must be imprisoned and, for that, Israel promises all its cooperation,“ said Ronen.

She also called on the Jewish people to ”move forward“ working in ”deep ties“, as they have been doing, because ”they are the ones who win; the terrorists are not going to win.“

Montoto also highlighted ”our sovereignty was violated“ in that attack on the Embassy. ”In these years I learned many things about the Israeli spirit, among them, that in the face of pain, life always ended up triumphing. Destruction and death were not able to put an end to the love of the Israeli State and the bond with the Argentine people,“ he added. Montoto also thanked Ambassador Ronen for being the liaison between companies and organizations in Argentina and Israel.

Sa’ar said it was Israel’s ”moral duty“ to pursue Tehran for its involvement in the attack that killed 29 people, including a Catholic priest from the church across Arroyo Street.

Dozens of people attended a memorial service Thursday at the site of a 1992 terrorist attack against the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, exactly 30 years after the site was blown up by a car bomb.

“It was a terrorist attack against my country, but it was also an attack on Argentina, the country where my father was born and raised,” said Sa’ar.

The ceremony took place at the same time as the March 17, 1992 attack, when allegedly a suicide bomber killed 29 and wounded 242 in front of the Israeli embassy, in what still is the deadliest attack on an Israeli diplomatic mission.

“The perpetrator of the attack in Argentina is Iran, and it is our moral duty to continue to pursue them until they are brought to justice,” said Sa’ar, who also used the ceremony to reiterate Israel’s public position on a potential revival of a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. ”The lifting of sanctions [against Iran] ... will transfer huge sums to Iran and its proxies, like Hezbollah, harming peace and stability in the Middle East and strengthening terror elements,” Sa’ar added.

Iran has been singled out as being behind the 1992 attack and also of orchestrating the 1994 suicide bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 and injured hundreds.