Israel Mobilises
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Israel calls up police and army reservists after terror attack in Tel Aviv following Jewish strikes on Gaza region on the brink
A car-ramming incident in Tel Aviv that Israeli authorities described as an act of terrorism has killed one man and injured six more people, all of them reportedly tourists. Israeli police said they shot the perpetrator, identified as an Israeli Arab.
According to the Israeli media, a man opened fire on a busy Tel Aviv waterfront, and then drove into a group of people in the nearby Charles Clore Park. An Italian tourist around the age of 30 died on the scene.
Six people were injured in the ramming – ranging from a 17-year-old girl to a 70-year-old woman – and were taken to two area hospitals. One of the wounded is in critical condition, while others have minor to moderate injuries.
The emergency service Magen David Adom has identified all of the victims as foreign tourists, though earlier reports said four of them were Israeli.
Tel Aviv police said one of their officers “neutralized the driver” after approaching the car – which had flipped over – and seeing the suspect reach for a weapon. The officer, who had been at a nearby gas station, responded to the scene alongside several municipal inspectors.
The suspect’s identity has not been revealed, though local media outlets claimed he was “an Israeli Arab.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called up all military police reservists and Border Police in response to the incident.
Israeli planes began bombing Gaza in the early hours of Friday, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed the Palestinian group Hamas for Thursday’s rocket attack from Lebanese territory.
“The IDF is currently striking in Gaza,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tweeted at 12:21 am local time.
Palestinian media outlets reported that Hamas air defenses have been activated. There were no reports of casualties so far. Videos shared on social media showed explosions lighting up the night.
“We will strike our enemies and they will pay the price for any act of aggression,” Netanyahu said on Thursday, after some 34 rockets were fired from southern Lebanon. No one took responsibility for the attack, but the IDF blamed Hamas, a militant Palestinian group headquartered in Gaza.
Israeli media called the attack the most serious escalation since 2006, when Israel attempted to dislodge Hezbollah from southern Lebanon. That war is widely considered a Hezbollah victory.
According to local media, Hamas and Hezbollah have placed their long-range rockets on high alert, and may strike at central Israel in response to the IDF bombing.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, whom Netanyahu fired last week but reinstated after public backlash, has instructed the IDF to prepare for “all possible options of retaliation.” All IDF personnel were reportedly recalled from leave and the units near the border with Lebanon placed on high alert on Thursday.
Media outlets in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem have speculated that a strike on Gaza was certain, while another operation in Lebanon was highly likely.
Earlier this week, Israeli riot police arrested hundreds of Palestinians at the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, disrupting services during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Some Palestinians had flocked to the mosque after reports that Israeli settlers were planning to ritually sacrifice a goat there.
Previous clashes at al-Aqsa, in May 2021, triggered an 11-day conflict between Israel and Hamas. It eventually ended in a ceasefire mediated by Egypt.
Just last week, Netanyahu faced mass protests organized by the liberal opposition, which called for his resignation over the proposed overhaul of Israel’s supreme court.
Source AP/RT
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