Return to Transcripts main page

Breaking News

11 Injured, 1 Seriously, By Suicide Bus Station Bombing In Tel Aviv

Aired January 25, 2002 - 05:05   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We keep our promises here at CNN. Remember that breaking news out of Israel? I told you we'd have a live report. Well, we do.

A bomb has exploded at a busy bus station in Tel Aviv. Several people are reported injured.

Let's go live now to CNN Jerusalem Bureau Chief Mike Hanna for the latest -- what happened, Mike?

MIKE HANNA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, about half an hour ago there was an explosion right in the middle of Tel Aviv near the old bus station in the center of the city. Initial reports say that 11 people have been injured in the explosion. One of them, say hospital authorities, is in a serious condition. The other 10 people have been lightly injured.

At this stage, the only reported fatality that of the man that police are saying was a suicide bomber. He was killed in the explosion. According to police, he was on a motor scooter and detonated an explosive device attached to his body, injuring, as I said, 11 people, one of them seriously.

The explosion occurred in a crowded area of downtown Tel Aviv, people out shopping, a very crowded area, indeed. However, at this stage, as I said, the only reported fatality, according to police, that of the man that they say detonated the explosive device.

Eleven people injured, 10 of them lightly, one of them seriously.

This follows overnight violence in the Gaza Strip, where Israeli forces killed a senior member of the militant Hamas movement. Palestinian security officials say he was killed when an Israeli helicopter fired a missile at the vehicle in which he was traveling. Two other people in the vehicle were injured. Israel confirms killing the man in what it says was a targeted killing. They will not discuss the method that they used to kill him.

Also overnight, two other Palestinians were killed. Israel says they were attempting to gain entry to a Jewish settlement in the area. Both men were members of Hamas, this confirmed by Palestinian as well as Israeli sources. So ongoing violence in the region while the U.S. is considering the nature of its relationship with the Palestinian Authority in the wake of ongoing weeks of violence -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Mike, in light of this, Israel's new strategy of occupying Palestinian cities, is it working?

HANNA: Well, the fact that we have ongoing suicide explosions, as this one appears to be, may indicate that it's not. But Israel's position is that there would be far more attacks if it was not taking these extreme actions, that is, of reoccupying Palestinian cities, of assassinations of known militants that Israel says are planning or attempting to carry out attacks against Israeli targets.

Israel's position is although these terror attacks are continuing, Israel's position is that there would be even more attacks if it was not taking what it calls these preemptive measures. The Palestinians arguing that actions such as the assassination of militants, such as the reoccupation of cities is serving only to provoke militants and to increase the number of violent actions against Israel -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, we'll continue to monitor what happens.

Thank you, Mike Hanna from Jerusalem, live for us this morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com