Series of bus explosions in Israel suspected to be terrorist attack
Photo: A series of bus explosions occurred in Israel on February 20
Three buses exploded in Israel one after the other. A total of five buses were planned to be blown up, and a terrorist attack is suspected, according to The Times of Israel.
Initially, two empty buses exploded simultaneously in two parking lots in the Tel Aviv suburb of Bat Yam. Police immediately stated that the incident was likely an attempted coordinated terrorist attack.
According to the Bat Yam municipality, "miraculously, the buses arrived at the parking lots a moment before the explosion". As a result, casualties were avoided.
Meanwhile, all buses in the Tel Aviv area were ordered to inspect their vehicles.
Third bus explosion
Shortly afterward, a third bus exploded in a parking lot in Bat Yam. According to reports, this strengthened suspicions that the series of explosions in the Tel Aviv suburb was a coordinated terror attempt.
Police officers halted light rail traffic in the area due to suspicions that a suspect had entered one of the train cars.
Police expressed growing confidence that the incident was likely a terrorist attack, though all possibilities were still being considered.
Five buses were targeted
In total, five buses were reportedly prepared for detonation. Two additional explosive devices were defused at other locations.
All five explosive devices, whether detonated or neutralized, were equipped with timers, and all explosions were intended to occur simultaneously.
A security source cited in the report described the incident as a "strategic terrorist attack."
Message left on the explosives
Additionally, one of the unexploded devices reportedly carried a message saying "Revenge from Tulkarem" - a reference to the West Bank city where the Israel Defense Forces recently carried out a large-scale counterterrorism operation.
Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev instructed the head of the Public Transportation Authority to stop and inspect "all buses, trains and light rail trains and act in accordance with the instructions of the Shin Bet and Police" amid the ongoing assessment of the suspected terrorist attack.
Bus and train searches completed
According to the latest reports, police have completed searches of buses and trains. Tel Aviv District Police Chief Haim Sargarof stated that authorities are still working to determine how many suspects were involved in the suspected terrorist attack.
He added that the individual whose name was mentioned in social media reports is actually an "innocent man" with no connection to the incident.
Reports indicate that the explosive devices were intended to detonate tomorrow while the buses were in motion.
Hamas hints at involvement in terrorist attack
The so-called Tulkarm Battalion of Hamas, based in Tulkarm in the West Bank, published a statement on its Telegram channel that may indicate the group's responsibility for the coordinated bus bombings in Tel Aviv.
The statement reads: "The revenge of the martyrs will not be forgotten so long as the occupier is present on our land… This is a jihad of either victory or martyrdom".
Terrorist attacks in Israel
Terrorist attacks in Israel occur relatively frequently. In December last year, a bus was shot at on a highway in the West Bank near Jerusalem, close to the village of Beit Jala and a checkpoint. The attack resulted in the death of a 12-year-old child.
In November 2023, unidentified gunmen opened fire near a bus stop at the entrance to Jerusalem. At least eight people were injured, and one person was killed.
