Hezbollah being implicated in a bus bomb attack that killed five Israeli tourists in Bulgaria last July is now putting pressure on the European Union to take a tougher stance against the Lebanon-based, Iran-funded “Party of Allah.”

Findings from a six-month probe into the attack, announced Tuesday by Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov, found “obvious links” between two of the attackers and Hezbollah.

Hezbollah is a terrorist proxy of Iran—funded, trained and armed by the Iranian government. But like Hamas in Gaza and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, it has attained some political legitimacy in the coalition government in Lebanon.

The United States, Israel and Canada classify Hezbollah as a terrorist entity. Among Europe’s main governments, only the Netherlands labels it a terrorist organization. Britain condemns Hezbollah’s military wing, but not its political party in Lebanon.

The Bulgarian bus bomb investigation is now putting more pressure on the EU to change its standpoint. Essentially, Europe is being urged: You have been hit on your turf. Reconsider your outlook on terrorist entities.

John Brennan, President Obama’s counterterrorism adviser, said in a statement: “Bulgaria’s implication of [Hezbollah] underscores the importance of international cooperation in disrupting terrorist threats. We call on our European partners as well as other members of the international community to take proactive action to uncover [Hezbollah’s] infrastructure and disrupt the group’s financing schemes and operational networks.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a similar exhortation, saying, “The attack in [Bulgaria] was an attack on European land against a member of the European Union. We hope that the Europeans learn the proper conclusions from this about the true character of Hezbollah.”

Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird said in a statement: “We urge the European Union and all partners who have not already done so to list Hezbollah as a terrorist entity and prosecute terrorist acts committed by this inhumane organization to the fullest possible extent.”

The EU, particularly Germany, currently has a mediator role in interactions between Hezbollah and Israel. cnn wrote that “Germany has been especially active in mediating on humanitarian issues. But there have been signals in the past few months from senior figures in Angela Merkel’s coalition that the mood is shifting.

“Last August, the foreign policy spokesman for Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, Philipp Missfelder, told the Jerusalem Post it was ‘long overdue to place Hezbollah on the EU’s list of terror organizations.’”

The pressure on Europe to take a stronger stance will rest mostly on Europe’s most powerful nation: Germany. Chancellor Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said on Wednesday that “if the evidence proves to be true that Hezbollah is indeed responsible for this despicable attack then consequences will have to follow.”

Bible prophecy reveals a German-led European empire clashing with radical Islamic powers in the Middle East. It appears, when that clash occurs, it will be seen as a legitimate response to a long-menacing threat. Even today, Germany is being called upon to “match its economic might as Europe’s effective paymaster with military commitments” (The Local, February 1).

Watch for Europe to see a rising need for a military offensive against radical Islam. Study our free booklet The King of the South to understand more.