Man seriously injured, passerby lightly hurt in car bombing on busy Haifa street

A 40-year-old man was seriously injured in a car bombing on a busy street in the northern city of Haifa on Friday.

A 56-year-old woman who was passing by at the time of the explosion was lightly injured.

According to Hebrew-language media reports, police believe the bombing was targeting the driver of the vehicle in an attempted assassination.

The target was reportedly a known criminal. His name was not released for publication.

The Walla news site said the device exploded in a car on the busy Achi Eilat Boulevard in the northern city.

The street was busy with shoppers ahead of the weekend, as well as residents eating in the multiple cafes and restaurants.

תיעוד: נסיון חיסול בחיפה, רכב התפוצץ בעיר pic.twitter.com/e5YEarzya2

— וואלה! (@WallaNews) March 11, 2022

A man who lives close by told the Walla news site that it was a miracle that there weren’t more people injured in the explosion.

“I was making final preparations for Shabbat. I was maybe 50 meters from the vehicle when suddenly I heard a very loud explosion and lay down on the floor. I thought a missile had landed in Haifa again like in 2006,” said the 48-year-old man. “When I looked up I saw a smoke-filled vehicle and realized it was a criminal incident.”

“How do people have the audacity to detonate an explosive device on the busiest street in Kiryat Haim? It’s a miracle more people weren’t injured. It was really scary. Unfortunately, nowhere is safe in this country,” he said.