Israel bus explosions rock Tel Aviv area in suspected terror attack
Three buses in Israel detonated Thursday in what police are investigatin🌟g as a suspected terror attack, according to multipl🍬e reports.
Two empty buses exploded simultaneoᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚusly in different parking lots in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv, before a third one went up in flames, according to Israeli media reports.
Additional bombs were also planted on two other buses in Bat Yam and Holon but failed to explode. They have since been disabled, pol🐬ice🎀 said.
Videos circulating on social media show the vehicles engulfed in flames, w✃ith large plumes of smoke blackening the sky. Images al✱so show the charred frame of one bus following the explosion.
No casualties have been reported.
“Multiple reports have been received of explosions involving several buses at different locations in Bat Yam,🐼” the Israeli Police Spokesperson’s Unit said, .
“Large police force🤡s are at the scenes, searching for suspects. Police bomb disposal units are scanning for 🦩additional suspicious objects.”
In total, five bombs were planted on five different buses in Central Israel, Tel Aviv Dis🐷trict Police Chief ಌHaim Sargarof told reporters,
He said the explosives appe﷽ar to be makeshift with timers attached.
“At this time, the event is ongoing, our forces are still scouring t🐻he area,” police spokesperson Aryeh Doron told Israeli Channel 12.
“We may be lucky if indeed the terrorists set these timers to the w🌠rong hour. But it’ꩵs too early to determine.”
On🍨e of the unexploded devices included a message saying “Revenge of Tulkarem” – refe🐼rring to a recent Israeli military counter-terrorism operation in the West Bank, local outlets reported.
In response, ꦓDefense Minister Israel Katz said he instructed the Israel Defense Forces to boost operations in the West Bank.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed police and the Israel Security Agency Shin Bet to “increase preventative activities” in cities across the Jewish state to avert similar attacks.
Authorities halted all buses, trains and light rail trains in the country to seꦗarch for additional bombs, according to Israeli media reports.
Bus drivers 𝄹throughout the country have also been advised to search their vehicles before traveling, several Hebrew media outlets reported, with seꦏcurity also reinforced at Ben Gurion Airport.
A massive search is und♉erway for pote🃏ntial suspects, police said.
Police are urging the publiꩲc to avoid the areas and stay on high alert for any suspicious items.
