Tel Aviv Explosion Declared Terror Attack, Suspect Killed
Israeli authorities announced that a major Tel Aviv blast on Sunday evening was a terror attack, with Hamas’s armed wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, claiming responsibility, CNN reports.
The explosion occurred on HaLehi Street, leaving one passerby moderately injured and the suspected perpetrator dead.
The Israel Police Spokesperson’s Unit and the Shin Bet Spokesperson’s Unit issued a joint statement Monday confirming the explosion as a “terror attack involving the explosion of a powerful explosive.”
Police sources told the media outlet that a “major disaster was averted” and that “dozens could have been killed” if the device had detonated differently. The intended target remains unknown.
The suspect, who had no criminal record and was unknown to security forces, was killed in the blast. Following the explosion, the Tel Aviv District Commander ordered “extensive searches” throughout the city.
Hamas, in a statement on its Telegram account, described the attack as a “martyrdom operation” carried out in cooperation with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s armed wing, the Al-Quds Brigades.
“Martyrdom operations…will return to the forefront as long as the occupation’s massacres, the displacement of civilians, and the continuation of the policy of assassinations continue,” the statement also read.
The blast comes amidst heightened regional tensions, particularly in light of the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Authorities are investigating whether the attack is linked to the broader security situation.
