An explosion suspected to be a terrorist attack occurred in Tel Aviv, the central city of Israel.
On the 20th (local time), three buses parked at a garage in the Bat Yam area on the southern outskirts of Tel Aviv, Israel, exploded. Photo by Xinhua News Agency
According to AFP and The Times of Israel, on the 20th (local time), three buses parked at a garage in the Bat Yam area on the southern outskirts of Tel Aviv suddenly exploded.
Since the buses were empty with passengers and drivers having disembarked, there were no casualties. The Bat Yam authorities stated, "It is a miracle that the buses returned to the garage before exploding."
Israeli police announced that additional unexploded explosives were found on a total of three buses that day. One of the explosives reportedly bore the inscription "Revenge of Tulkarem." Since last month, the Israeli military has been conducting large-scale counterterrorism operations in Tulkarem and other areas in the West Bank, a Palestinian autonomous region.
The police are searching for suspects and are checking whether explosives were installed on other buses. The Israeli military also stated that it is supporting investigations by the police and the intelligence agency Shin Bet.
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced that Prime Minister Netanyahu, after assessing the security situation immediately following the incident, ordered the military to carry out large-scale counterterrorism operations in the West Bank. The Prime Minister's Office also stated that Netanyahu instructed the police and Shin Bet to strengthen measures to prevent additional attacks.
Earlier, the Prime Minister's Office said it is continuously receiving updates from the military regarding the improvised explosive device (IED) incident that occurred in the central region, adding, "We regard the installation of explosives on the buses as a very serious incident. We will order decisive measures against the terrorist threat in the West Bank."
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, in a separate statement, ordered the reinforcement of crackdowns across the occupied territories and refugee camps. Minister Gantz said, "Considering the serious attack by Palestinian terrorists in the central region, I have instructed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to strengthen operations to thwart terrorism in Tulkarem and all refugee camps in Judea and Samaria (the Israeli term for the West Bank)."
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