Bomb blast in Tel Aviv confirmed as ‘terror attack’: Israeli authorities

Jerusalem, Aug 20 (IANS) Israel’s police and the Shin Bet internal security agency confirmed a bomb explosion in Tel Aviv as a “terrorist attack” targeting a synagogue.The assailant, who was carrying the bomb on his body, was killed in the blast, and a passerby was wounded, according to a joint statement. “It can now be confirmed that this was a terror attack involving a powerful explosive device,” the statement read, Xinhua news agency reported.The suspect was identified as a Palestinian man from the Nablus region in the northern occupied West Bank.The explosion occurred near a synagogue on Sunday night, and Israeli security authorities believe the bomb detonated prematurely, with the suspect intending to explode it inside the synagogue.Hamas’ armed wing, the Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the incident. In a statement, the two militant groups said the attack was carried out using an eight-kilogram bomb.They warned that they would continue to carry out attacks in Israel as long as the “massacres, displacement of population, and assassinations” continue.The incident occurred as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken began his visit to Israel amid a new diplomatic push by Qatari, Egyptian, and American mediators to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in exchange for the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners.–IANSint/psd/svn