IDF initiates mission in West Bank following bus explosions

(MENAFN) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has authorized a military incursion in the West Bank after a series of explosions targeted empty buses in Tel Aviv on Thursday night. The bombs went off in rapid succession in parking lots in the city, prompting Netanyahu to order the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to intensify operations against terrorist centers in the West Bank, specifically in Judea and Samaria. In addition, Israel's police and security agency, ISA, were instructed to ramp up preventative measures to counter further attacks.

Following the explosions, police discovered and neutralized two more bombs on buses in Bat Yam and Holon, which were also located in suburban areas. Netanyahu's office described the incident as an attempt to execute a series of bus bombings across the city. Tel Aviv’s Police Chief, Haim Sargarof, suggested that the attack appeared to have originated in the West Bank.

This comes after the IDF's large-scale anti-terrorism operations in the Jenin and Tulkarem refugee camps last month, which were the largest in the region since 1967. The operation has displaced approximately 40,000 Palestinians, according to the United Nations. The latest escalation coincides with a month-long ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, which led to the release of hostages from both sides.

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