Hezbollah did not issue an official statement following the announcement of Bulgaria’s investigation results that have accused Hezbollah’s military wing of being involved in the Burgas bombing last July. Hezbollah did nothing more than to have its deputy general, Sheikh Naim Qassem, comment that he believes Israel is behind the accusation, because it is “the leader of an international campaign to contain the resistance.”
It was expected that Hezbollah would appear indifferent toward the allegation as a way of demonstrating the certainty of its innocence, and making it known that the accusation is merely political. This is the same way Hezbollah dealt for a long period of time with accusations that it was responsible for the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. It later, however, changed its approach and its secretary general spoke out via lengthy television appearances, taking on the role of defense lawyer as he presented evidence that he believed to offer a material basis for accusing Israel of Hariri’s killing.
