Israel: Three empty buses exploded in Bat Yam in suspected terror attack

The city is located south of Tel Aviv city.

Police said explosive devices attached to two other buses failed to explode.

The buses were standing in a parking lot when the explosions occurred.

Sharing details about the incident, Israeli Police wrote on X: "A short time ago, emergency dispatch received a report of sounds of an explosion and a bus fire in a parking lot in Bat Yam."

"Multiple police units are at the scene, investigating the circumstances," police said.

No Injuries

Police confirmed no injuries were reported in the incident.

Several videos of the incident went viral on social media where a bus could be seen burning.

According to reports, the devices contained 5 kilograms of explosives.

Police are searching for suspects who are possibly behind the attack.

Transportation Minister Miri Regev earlier issued an order to the head of the Transportation Authority to halt service and conduct a search of all buses, trains and light rails, reported The Times of Israel.

The Transportation Minister was reportedly cutting short a visit to Morocco following the incident.

Speaking to reporters in Bat Yam, Haim Sargarof, the Tel Aviv District police chief, told the newspaper that the devices had timers but they were improvised explosives, and that the attack “looks like something [that originated] in the West Bank.”

In a statement, the Bat Yam Municipality said that “miraculously, the buses arrived at the parking lots a moment before the explosion,” and were already empty of their passengers, The Times of Israel reported.

As per local media reports, bus drivers in the nation were directed to search the vehicles before setting off following the blasts in the parking lot.

Benjamin Netanyahu receives updates

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he is receiving ongoing updates from his Military Secretary on the IED blast incident.

The official X page of the Prime Minister said: "The Prime Minister has ordered the IDF to carry out an intensive operation against centers of terrorism in Judea and Samaria. The Prime Minister also ordered the Israel Police and the ISA to increase preventative activity against additional attacks in Israeli cities."