Blast near Israel ministry injures several people

Up to 10 people have been wounded after a bomb detonated near the headquarters of the Israeli ministry of military affairs in Tel Aviv.

The incident occurred on Thursday when a bomb exploded in a car near a bus.

Israeli officials said it was highly likely that the blast was a “criminal act,” but did not rule out the possibility of it being political violence.

“The main direction of suspicion is it was criminal,” police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

Israel’s Ynetnews website quoted witnesses as saying they saw an assailant on a motorcycle planting an explosive on a black Mazda.

An empty bus nearby was also damaged in the explosion.

Media reports said the car’s owner did not appear to have been in the vehicle at the time.