Turkey: Israeli gov't says there "reasonable basis for the belief that the attack was directed at Israelis"

Via Times of Israel:

The Defense Ministry on Tuesday recognized the 14 Israeli victims of last month’s terror attack in Istanbul as official “victims of hostilities,” qualifying them and their families for special state benefits.

Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email
and never miss our top stories   Free Sign up!

On March 19, a suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest, killing four people and injuring dozens more. Three Israeli tourists were among those died in the blast, and 11 were wounded to varying degrees.

The ministry did not initially recognize the Israelis killed and injured as victims of hostilities, as it was not entirely clear if they had been specifically targeted in the attack for being Israelis or had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But upon consideration and further investigation, the ministry determined “there is a reasonable basis for the belief that the attack was directed at Israelis,” it said in a statement.

read more