Barack Obama
Barack ObamaReuters

U.S. President Barack Obama strongly condemned Wednesday’s terror attack that killed at least five Israeli tourists in an explosion on a bus outside a Bulgarian airport.

“The United States will stand with our allies, and provide whatever assistance is necessary to identify and bring to justice the perpetrators of this attack,” Reuters quoted Obama as having said in a statement, calling the attack “completely outrageous.”

Obama later telephoned Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and expressed his condolences for the deaths of Israelis in the attack in Burgas. During the conversation it was agreed that the U.S. and Israel will work together to investigate the attack.

Netanyahu thanked Obama and said that Iran and Hizbullah are conducting a terrorist campaign around the world, adding that Iran should face the consequences for its actions.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Ehud Barak spoke on Wednesday evening with U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. The two discussed the Bulgaria attack as well as the recent developments in Syria.

Barak told his American counterpart that Israel is closely monitoring the situation in Syria and added, “We believe that the removal of the high ranking Syrian officials will catalyze the fall of the Assad regime. In addition, we are vigilantly watching the developments and the possibility that Hizbullah might attempt to transfer advanced weapons systems or chemical weapons from Syria to Lebanon.”

A statement from Barak’s office said Barak and Panetta agreed to be in close and continuous contact regarding events in the region.

Earlier, Barak issued a somber statement following the murderous terror attack in Bulgaria, saying, “For a long time, we have been following the intentions of the terror organizations, Hizbullah, Hamas, Iranian elements and the [Global] Jihad, to carry out terror attacks worldwide.”

“We have a long struggle with them, there are many successes in it, there are difficult days, today is one of these difficult days.”

He added, “In my opinion, it is of the utmost importance that we do not lose our fortitude, nor the ability to understand that we must live. After learning the lessons, along with listening to the warnings when they can be issued, it is important that Israelis continue to travel in the world, continue to travel around the Land (of Israel) and continue to live the normal life despite all the pain.”

The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) has issued unprecedented orders to postpone scheduled flights to 11 locations in Eastern Europe.

Security sources said that there is concern in Israel regarding a possible series of terror attacks against Israeli targets worldwide. Israel therefore wants to reschedule flights, in order to make it more difficult for the planners of terror acts to carry out the attacks.