Police said the bomb disposal units are scanning for additional suspicious objects and urged the public to avoid the areas and remain alert for any suspicious items.
Jerusalem: A series of explosions Thursday on three parked buses rattled central Israel in what authorities suspected was a militant attack. However, no injuries were reported. Israeli police in a statement said that explosions rocked several buses in the central city of Bat Yam on Thursday evening in what they described as a “suspected terror attack”, with an official saying that there were no injuries.
Police said the bomb disposal units are scanning for additional suspicious objects and urged the public to avoid the areas and remain alert for any suspicious items.
It is to be noted that the explosions happened on a day when Israel is grieving after Hamas returned the bodies of four hostages from Gaza as part of a ceasefire deal.
The bus explosions were reminiscent of bombings during the Palestinian uprising of the 2000s, but such attacks are now rare.
Explosives were found on two other buses but did not detonate, police spokesman Asi Aharoni told Channel 13 TV.
Israeli police said the five bombs were identical and equipped with timers, and said bomb squads were defusing the unexploded bombs.
Investigators in white coveralls searched for evidence inside the burned-out metal shells of the buses, which blew up in a parking lot in Bat Yam, a city outside Tel Aviv.
The city’s mayor, Tzvika Brot, said it was a miracle no one was hurt. The buses had been parked after finishing their routes, he said.
The head of the bus company said they immediately ordered all bus drivers to stop and conduct a “thorough inspection”. They resumed their routes once they were found to be safe, Ofir Karni said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he was receiving updates from his military secretary and following the events. The Shin Bet internal security agency was taking over the investigation, police said.
“We need to determine if a single suspect placed explosives on a number of buses, or if there were multiple suspects,” police spokesman Haim Sargrof told Israeli TV.
(With inputs from agencies)