Former Defense Chief Ya’alon Confirmed as Target in 2023 Hezbollah Bomb Attack
Israeli authorities confirmed on Wednesday that the intended target of a Hezbollah bombing attack in Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park last year was former defense minister and IDF chief of staff Moshe Ya’alon. The September 15, 2023, blast, which occurred around 6:30 a.m., caused no injuries.
Two Arab Israeli suspects were detained shortly after the bombing, and six more were arrested in the days following. All eight have since been indicted for security offenses, including contact with Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon and various weapons offenses. A heavily redacted indictment, released Wednesday, provided new details about the attack.
“It’s not the first time someone has tried to kill me,” Ya’alon, 74, said in an interview with Democrat TV on Wednesday. “I attack, I don’t wait to be attacked, and I also take precautions, so I’m still here.”
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The Shin Bet security agency also announced on Tuesday that it had foiled another bombing plot by the same Hezbollah network behind the attempt on Ya’alon’s life. The new plot, planned for the coming days, was targeting another former senior defense official whose identity has not yet been disclosed.
Initially, police suspected that the 2023 attack was intended to harm civilians in the park. However, an investigation by the Shin Bet and an analysis of security footage led authorities to conclude that Ya’alon was the intended target. The suspects reportedly attached a camera and remote detonation system to the bomb, planting it next to a tree in the park. Believing they had spotted Ya’alon, they triggered the explosion, though the man they targeted was unharmed.
In Tuesday’s attempted attack, a similar device was found, which had a remote detonation system and could have been triggered from Lebanon via a cellular connection.
This marks the second significant Hezbollah bombing plot in Israel in recent years, following a similar attack at Megiddo Junction in March 2023. Hezbollah continues to launch near-daily attacks on Israeli communities and military posts along the northern border, a campaign the group claims is in support of Hamas.
