Bomb targets Israeli diplomats in Jordan
Terror attack in Jordan: Roadside bomb detonated near Israeli diplomatic convoy en route to Israel Thursday afternoon, Foreign Ministry confirms; no casualties reported in attack, Jordanian authorities launch investigation
Terror attack in Jordan: A roadside bomb was detonated Thursday afternoon near a secured convoy carrying Israeli diplomatic staff in Jordan, the Foreign Ministry says.
No casualties were reported in the attack. The bomb targeted Israel's ambassador to Jordan Danny Nevo, al-Jazeera reported. However, the envoy was not in the vehicles.
According to a Jordanian source, Jordanian troops arrived at the site of the attack immediately after the blast. The forces accompanied the Israeli diplomats to a nearby military base and later escorted them to the Israeli border, following initial assistance and a brief questioning session.
Jordan launches probe
The convoy, which included four embassy staff members and two security guards, was traveling to Israel from Jordan's capital Amman at the time of the attack.
Embassy staff continued on their way following the blast, which took place about 20 kilometers (roughly 13 miles) from the Allenby Bridge crossing point between Israel and Jordan.
Jordan's security authorities have launched an investigation into the attack, while Israeli security officials monitor the situation. Officials are looking into the possibility that more than one bomb was detonated in the attack
Ongoing threat
The Foreign Ministry updated Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who is currently in Cyprus, about the attack.
Israel's diplomatic officials in Jordan face an ongoing terror threat in the neighboring country. Less than a year ago, a Jordanian court sentenced three Hamas members to five years in prison after convicting them of engaging in surveillance operations outside Israel's embassy in Amman.
However, diplomats are not the only Israelis facing danger in Jordan. A year ago two Jordanian citizens were indicted for planning to murder an Israeli businessman who owns a factory in the city of Irbid. The two, Loay Shehadah, 37, and Mohammed Odatallah, 36, were charged with attempted murder and possession of illegal weapons.
According to the indictment, the two were seeking to murder Jews in Jordan.
