The scene of a car-ramming attack in the Israeli city of Acre, March 4, 2018. Photo: Hatzalah.

Two Israeli soldiers, a border guard, and a civilian were wounded in a car-ramming assault in the northern city of Acre on Sunday. Police have confirmed that the incident was a nationalistically motivated terror attack.

The attack took place near the city’s central train station. The driver of the car was shot by a soldier at the scene and taken to a hospital in critical condition.

His name has not been released, but the Hebrew news site Mako identified him as a resident of the Israeli-Arab town of Shfaram.

Police official Benny Avaliya stated, “There is almost 100 percent — if not 100 percent — certainty that we are dealing with a terror attack.”

The driver apparently first struck a policeman, then proceeded to hit two young soldiers nearby. Eli Bin, an official with the Magen David Adom emergency service, told Israel’s Channel 2 that paramedics arrived at the scene and found that the victims were lightly wounded. They were quickly evacuated to a hospital in the nearby town of Nahariya.

Magen David Adom’s Dovi Richter, who was at the scene, said, “I saw two young people around 20 fully conscious. They lay at the side of the road and suffered from light wounds in the head and body. I gave them first aid. I put them in the ambulance and we brought them in good condition to the hospital in Nahariya. We also treated a man around 51 who was wounded in the legs.”

Paramedic Shai Markovitz of emergency service Hatzalah gave first aid to the attacker, saying, “I found a driver who was critically injured after having suffered multiple gunshot wounds.”

Markovitz noted a heavy police presence at the scene, saying, “Police and security forces were controlling the area in force and were investigating the incident.”

Member of Knesset Zouheir Bahloul, who lives in Acre, expressed hope that “we are not talking about an intentional terror attack, and I call on all residents of the city to practice restraint and tolerance. I wish a speedy recovery to the wounded and hope that we will quickly return to a healthy routine in the city.”