A shooting in Tel Aviv left eight people dead and nine others wounded Tuesday evening, coinciding with Iran’s missile attack on Israel, according to U.S. officials briefed on the incident.
The attack occurred in Jaffa, a mixed Arab-Jewish neighborhood in southern Tel Aviv, where two suspects opened fire on a boulevard, local police reported. Both suspects were killed in the ensuing confrontation.
“The shooting began as people were rushing to bomb shelters due to the Iranian missile attack,” said a Tel Aviv police spokesperson, who requested anonymity due to the ongoing investigation. “It created a chaotic situation with multiple emergencies unfolding simultaneously.”
U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the attack involved at least one gunman who disembarked from public transportation and began firing a semiautomatic rifle. One official noted that the reported death toll might include the suspects.
The shooting came moments before a barrage of rockets from Iran forced people across Israel, including in Tel Aviv, to seek shelter. This confluence of events has raised concerns about potential coordination between the shooting and the missile attack, though authorities have not confirmed any connection.
Israeli security forces have heightened alert levels across the country in response to both the shooting and the Iranian missile attack. The incidents have escalated tensions in the region, with international observers closely monitoring the situation for potential further violence or retaliation.
The identities of the victims and the motives behind the shooting have not yet been released by Israeli authorities.
