A man spat in an IDF officer's face on bus 161 in Ramat Gan, video documentation of the incident revealed on Sunday.
The recording of the incident was circulated online, and police opened an investigation into the incident after a complaint was filed, N12 reported.
The IDF officer, Tamar, told N12 that "There was no interaction between us, suddenly he just spit on my cheek and immediately got off at the station.
"I was sitting next to him, and he was playing songs loudly on his phone. It bothered me, so I moved. Again, there was no interaction between us. After he spat on me and got off, I was shocked, but I immediately contacted the driver and then the police."
Claims that the suspect on the bus is a terrorist
Defense Minister Israel Katz described the man who spat on the officer as a "terrorist" on a X/Twitter post, stating that the individual must be "punished to the fullest extent.
IDF female and male soldiers are seen operating in the Gaza Strip on November 19, 2023 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
"We will not allow harm to our soldiers," he continued. "I trust law enforcement authorities to pursue him to the fullest extent of the law, so that they know that anyone who harms IDF soldiers will pay a heavy price."
Ramat Gan Mayor Carmel Shama also described the individual as a "terrorist,"
Tamar did not identify the attacker, but said that "what he was watching on his phone was in Arabic," N12 quoted her.
The Israel Bus Drivers' Organization stated that "It's unthinkable that such attacks would occur on buses. Police must be contacted to act quickly, locate the suspect, and bring him to justice," Army Radio quoted the organization as saying.
