Tel Aviv Bus Bombing Linked to Hamas and Islamic Jihad

The Wednesday bus bombing that wounded 30 in Tel Aviv has officially been linked to Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

The bomb was in a bag which the attacker placed and left on the bus before exiting. The bomb was then detonated remotely using a cell phone. 

Israeli security personnel arrested many of those responsible for the attack later in the day Wednesday, in an “extensive arrest operation.” 

Most of those arrested were from the West Bank village of Beit Lakiya. 

Israeli officials said the bomb used in the attack was small, and therefore caused far “fewer and less severe casualties” than a larger bomb would have done. 

Israeli security forces expect to make more arrests tied to the bombing in the coming days. For now, the Central District Police Commander has Israeli police forces on “Code Dagger” — the highest level of alert for police in Israel.