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| F-15 takes off - Sonic booms? Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Office
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Mysterious blasts rattle Israelis
Dozens of readers tell Ynet about loud ‘explosions’ heard overnight. Police: Likely sonic booms created by Air Force planes. Army: It wasn’t us
Ynet reporters
Late-night mystery: Dozens of readers from across Israel told Ynet about unusually loud “explosions” and tremors throughout the night, but attempts to shed light on the source of the blasts has been met with uncertainty.
At least one possibility has been discounted, with the country’s seismological institute saying no earthquake occurred.
Police officials estimated the loud sounds were a result of sonic booms created by IDF fighter jets on their way to attacking Gaza, but the army insisted there was no unusual Air Force activity across the country overnight.
Central Police District Spokesman Yigal Haddad said police received numerous calls overnight from concerned citizens reporting explosions.
“The residents reported explosions heard from Netanya (north of Tel Aviv) to Rishon Lezion (south of Tel Aviv.) Many residents said the explosions came from the direction of the sea,” he said. “Police personnel who heard the blasts themselves said they sounded like sonic booms. We still don’t know what caused the explosions. We had similar reports during the week.”
Meanwhile, police in Haifa also received calls regarding a possible earthquake, but no damages were reported.
The nighttime explosions have apparently become a routine occurrence throughout the Sharon region, north of Tel Aviv. In recent nights there have been other reported about blasts heard in the town of Herzliya, but the source of them is unclear.
“It was a scary blast. The windows shook and we felt the entire house shake,” a resident of Kadima told Ynet. “The first thing that came to mind was a terror attack…we weren’t able to figure out what cause the first blast, and minutes later a second blast followed.”
A Herzliya resident who returned home at 2 a.m. also reported a loud explosion.
“A huge sound rocked the area…I thought it may be the influence of the alcohol, but then several car alarms were activated and dogs were barking in fright. I guess that’s what they feel in Gaza and Lebanon when we create sonic booms,” he said.
Yevgeny Sherman from Haifa told Ynet the blast was so powerful it knocked his door out. Sherman said he thought an earthquake was behind the unusual occurrence.
“It wasn’t like an explosion, but rather, the entire building shook,” he said.
Raanan Ben-Zur, Anat Shalev, Avi Cohen, Efrat Weiss, Hanan Greenberg, and Ahiya Raved contributed to the report
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