Third TNT-laden barrel washes ashore

A barrel packed with explosive charges washed ashore yesterday on Palmahim beach, some 10 kilometers south of Tel Aviv, two days after two other barrel bombs were found on the Ashkelon and Ashdod beaches.

Two more explosives-filled barrels are believed to have exploded on the shores of the Gaza Strip.

Police have defused the explosives found yesterday.

Army Radio reported yesterday that two more objects resembling the earlier barrel bombs had been spotted floating off the coast of Netanya.

Police said after the first barrels were found Monday that they originated in Gaza and were intended to explode next to a ship or near beachgoers. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the barrels found Monday.

Large police contingents were deployed this week to search for additional explosive charges, and security personnel along the shore were ordered to go on alert. Police have also asked the public to be particularly aware of any suspicious objects, especially at the beach, and to inform the police immediately if they find anything unusual.

Each of the barrels was of a similar size, contained between 15 kilograms and 25 kilograms of explosives, and was designed to be detonated by a signal from a cellular telephone, a senior navy official said this week.