State Department applauds Israeli response to attempted bus bombings

In what appears to be the Trump administration’s first comment on last week’s bus explosions in central Israel, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce tweets that the US “commends Israeli security’s swift response to stop a suspected terrorist attack after three empty buses exploded near Tel Aviv, saving countless lives.”

“Terrorism has no place in society and must be repudiated. The United States’ commitment to Israel’s security is unwavering,” Bruce adds.

Three empty buses exploded in quick succession in parking lots in the Tel Aviv suburbs of Bat Yam and Holon Thursday night and one or two more bombs were discovered on additional buses in Holon. No casualties occurred as a result of the explosions.

There have been conflicting reports on the matter, which is thought to have been a narrowly averted large-scale terror attack, and much of the case is covered by a gag order.

On Friday, the Israel Police and the Shin Bet security agency were reported to have detained a Palestinian and two Jewish Israelis in connection to the bus explosions.

In security consultations following the explosions, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the IDF to carry out a massive counterterrorism operation in the West Bank, his office said, with the IDF later announcing the deployment of three additional battalions.