Netanyahu orders 'intensive' West Bank operations after Israel bus blasts

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday ordered an "intensive operation against centers of terrorism" in the occupied West Bank, his office said, after three buses exploded in central Israel without causing any reported injuries.

Three devices detonated on buses in the city of Bat Yam on Thursday evening and two others were being defused, according to police, with Israel's defense minister accusing "Palestinian terrorist" groups of being behind the blasts.

Netanyahu's office said on social media early Friday that he had completed a security assessment with top officials, ordering fresh counterterrorism operations as well as stepped up security in Israeli cities.

"The Prime Minister has ordered the IDF (military) to carry out an intensive operation against centers of terrorism in Judea and Samaria," Netanyahu's office said on X, using the biblical term for the West Bank.

"The Prime Minister also ordered the Israel Police and the ISA (internal security agency) to increase preventative activity against additional attacks in Israeli cities," he added.

A large number of police were deployed to search for suspects after the "suspected terror attack", the police force said in a statement.

"Police bomb disposal units are scanning for additional suspicious objects. We urge the public to avoid the areas and remain alert for any suspicious items," it added.

Tzvika Brot, the mayor of Bat Yam, said in a video statement that there were "no injured in these incidents".

Security forces and bomb disposal units were seen by an AFP journalist as they inspected the remains of destroyed buses.

Israeli media said that bus drivers countrywide had been asked to stop and inspect their vehicles for additional explosive devices.

- 'Intensify' West Bank raids -

A police commander from central Israel, Haim Sargarof, said in a televised briefing that the devices used to set off the blasts were similar to those found in the West Bank.

Separately, Defense Minister Israel Katz said he ordered the military to "intensify operations to thwart terrorism" in West Bank refugee camps, particularly Tulkarem.

The military has been carrying out near-daily raids in West Bank cities and camps for several weeks now targeting Palestinian militants.

Multiple Palestinian civilians have also been killed in the raids, while Israeli security forces have destroyed homes and infrastructure.

The military operation has displaced more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to the United Nations.

Violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has escalated since the October 2023 outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip.

At least 897 Palestinians including militants have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank since the Gaza war began, according to an AFP tally based on figures provided by the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah.

At least 32 Israelis, including some soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or confrontations during Israeli operations in the West Bank over the same period, according to official Israeli figures.