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U.S. condemns attack on Israeli school bus

08 April 2011 02:19 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The U.S. State Department on Thursday condemned the attack on an Israeli school bus traveling near the border with Gaza Strip which is controlled by Hamas, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"We condemn the attack on innocent civilians in southern Israel in the strongest possible terms, as well as ongoing rocket fire from Gaza," said State Department spokesman Mark Toner.

Tensions along Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip flared up Thursday afternoon when an anti-tank missile fired by militants hit an Israeli school bus traveling close to the border.

Mark said the U.S. is "particularly concerned" about reports that indicate the use of an "advanced" anti-tank weapon.

He said that all countries have obligations under relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions to prevent "illicit trafficking in arms and ammunition."

The attack is part of a fresh wave of violence erupting on Thursday between the Israeli army and militant groups in the Hamas- controlled Gaza Strip. So far, a 56-year-old Palestinian teacher was killed and 11 were wounded, including two Israeli civilians.

Following the attack, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned Hamas that Israel would harshly retaliate, adding that he instructed to his army to use all means and intensify their retaliatory attacks on the Gaza Strip in response to the ongoing mortars and rockets attacks.

Member of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee Saeb Erekat, who is currently in Cairo with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said in a statement that Barak’s warning is threatening the entire region and Israel "must stop its aggression on Gaza."