Grenade scare causes major traffic jam on Ayalon Highway
Police close key Tel Aviv route during rush hour after fragmentation grenade found on roadside; major jam ensues
Morning rush hour traffic on the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv was brought to a standstill on Monday after authorities discovered a handgrenade at the side of the road.
“A short time ago, traffic police found a grenade by the side of Route 20,” an Israel Police statement read. Route 20 is another name for the Ayalon.
Sappers were dispatched to the scene and traffic on the highway’s southbound lanes was blocked, according to police.
The grenade was found near the area of the Rokach Interchange in northern Tel Aviv.
The incident caused a major jam, with traffic also backed up on approach roads to the highway.
It came at one of the busiest times of day on a highway that is a central artery through the country’s economic heart, compounding congestion woes that are already a daily grind for commuters.
אחרי זיכוי החבלן, איילון נפתח לתנועה. מדובר ברימון רסס שאותר בשול הדרך ע"י אופנוען של אגף התנועה (בתמונה: הרימון) @N12News https://t.co/Bd897VWP7H pic.twitter.com/DDM6V95m0P
— אור רביד | Or Ravid (@OrRavid) December 16, 2024
Police later announced that Ayalon was reopened to traffic, without providing further details on the grenade or how it ended up on the roadside.
הסיבה לחסימה הבוקר בנתיבי איילון: רימון שאותר על הכביש. חבלן משטרתי וכוחות מאגף התנועה במקום. נרשמים עומסים @N12News pic.twitter.com/SnfRGK3Uzs
— אור רביד | Or Ravid (@OrRavid) December 16, 2024
No other details about the scare were immediately available.
