What's happened
Argentina's highest criminal court has declared Iran responsible for the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people. The attack was carried out by Hezbollah in retaliation for Argentina reneging on a nuclear cooperation deal with Iran.
Why it matters
The court's ruling holds Iran accountable for a heinous act of terrorism, potentially opening the door for victims' families to seek justice in international tribunals. This decision could have significant implications for diplomatic relations between Argentina and Iran, as well as regional stability.
What the papers say
The New York Times emphasizes the court's characterization of Iran as a terrorist state and the potential impact on Iran-Israel tensions. The Guardian highlights the historic nature of the ruling and the opportunity it provides for victims' families to pursue legal action against Iran. The Independent underscores the significance of the court's decision in seeking justice for the victims and the duty of states to address such human rights violations. The Times of Israel focuses on the court's attribution of the attacks to Iran and Hezbollah, declaring Iran a terrorist state.
How we got here
The 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish center in Buenos Aires was one of the deadliest attacks in Argentina's history. The court's ruling is a culmination of years of investigations linking Iran and Hezbollah to the bombing, which was seen as retaliation for Argentina canceling nuclear contracts with Iran.
Common question
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Iran, also called Persia, and officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered to the northwest by Armenia and Azerbaijan, to the north by the Caspian Sea, to the northeast by Turkmenistan, to the east by Afghanistan a
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Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country located mostly in the southern half of South America. Sharing the bulk of the Southern Cone with Chile to the west, the country is also bordered by Bolivia and Paraguay to the north, Brazil to the
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Jews or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and a nation originating from the Israelites and Hebrews of historical Israel and Judah.
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Hezbollah is a Shia Islamist political party and militant group based in Lebanon. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese parliament.
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The AMIA bombing was a suicide van bomb attack on the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina building in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 18 July 1994, killing 85 people and injuring hundreds. The bombing is Argentina's deadliest terrorist attack to date.