Bomb explosion rocks south Tel Aviv, kills one

An Israeli man has been killed in a car bomb explosion that rocked southeastern Tel Aviv, the third car bomb attack to hit Israel in less than a week.

What appeared to be an explosive charge attached to a car detonated on Saturday in the neighborhood of Kfar Shalem.

In the early hours of Monday, an explosion in a car killed two men in Petah Tikva, some 10.5 kilometers east of Tel Aviv.

Israeli sources said the two men were transporting the bomb to be used in an attack elsewhere when it exploded prematurely.

Israeli authorities say local criminal gangs were behind the attacks.

On Thursday, an explosion blew up a car in a residential neighborhood of Kiryat Yam, north of Haifa. The explosion was suspected to be linked to a local business dispute.

Cheap and easy to procure, car bombs have become a popular weapon with Israeli criminals in recent years.

Four men have been killed and several others seriously wounded in 10 car bomb explosions that have hit Israeli cities since last October.

The majority of these attacks have been linked to domestic criminal networks.