Alleged terrorist attack in Israel. (symbolic)
A truck crashed into a bus stop near the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, killing one person and injuring 40, 10 of whom are in critical condition. Israeli police called it a terrorist attack and said the attacker is an Arab citizen of Israel. This collision took place near the headquarters of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.
In the city of Ramat Hasharon, northeast of Tel Aviv, a truck collided with a bus at a stop as Israelis returned to work after a week’s vacation, trapping some people under the vehicles.
Attack near Mossad headquarters
In addition to being close to the Mossad headquarters and a military base, the bus stop is also close to a central road junction. Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said 10 of the injured were in serious condition. Israeli police spokesman ASI Aharoni said the attacker had been neutralized, but did not say whether he had died. Hamas and the smaller militant group affiliated with Islamic Jihad praised the alleged attack but did not claim responsibility.
Tension reduces over Israel’s attack on Iran
On October 26, Israel attacked some 20 military targets in Iran, Iraq and Syria with airstrikes. This was suspected for several weeks. In fact, this action was taken after Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu warned of revenge following Tehran’s ballistic missile attack in early October. The move follows a pattern in which Iran and Israel have taken turns escalating what was long a shadow war but has now become a direct confrontation.
These attacks have raised widespread fears that the entire region is about to enter a more militant phase but, paradoxical as it may seem, I believe that recent Israeli attacks have reduced tensions. To understand why this happened, it is important to analyze the nature and scale of the Israeli campaign. It is also important to analyze the possible posture of decision makers in Israel, Iran and the United States after the attack.
The attack planned by Israel
The October airstrike was retaliation for a series of Israeli operations against Iran’s proxy group Hezbollah. These include the assassination of a senior Hamas official in Tehran on the eve of the swearing-in of Iran’s new president in July and the assassination of a Hezbollah leader in late September. Similarly, Iran’s airstrikes against Israeli targets in April were a response to Israeli provocations this spring. This also included an attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, on April 1, in which two senior military officers were killed.
