Jerusalem ( CNN ) -- Israel has broken up an al Qaeda terror cell that planned a coordinated attack that included bombing the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv , Israeli authorities said Wednesday . Three men -- two from Jerusalem and one from the West Bank -- have been arrested in connection with the plot that called for a double suicide bombing targeting the embassy and the Jerusalem Convention Center , according to Israel 's Shin Bet intelligence agency . It is the second time in recent months that authorities claim to have halted an al Qaeda attack planned by Palestinian militants , according to Israeli media . In November , authorities claimed three Palestinians with ties to al Qaeda were killed by Israeli troops during a gunfight in the West Bank , according to the reports . The Israeli intelligence agency alleged Wednesday Iyad Halil Mohammad Abu Sara of East Jerusalem is `` the relevant member '' of the three-man operation , a statement released by Shin Bet 's media office said . Abu Sara was allegedly recruited by al Qaeda to go to Syria for training and return to Israel , where he was to connect with others who were to have entered the country using forged Russian documents , the statement said . The arrests came as peace talks were under way in Geneva , Switzerland , to end the Syrian civil war , a conflict where violence has been spilled into neighboring countries and raised fears it could destabilize the region . Chief among those fears is that the chaos generated by the conflict has allowed an al Qaeda-linked group to take hold in Syria , attracting foreign fighters who can strike neighboring countries . While authorities did not say how far along Abu Sara and the others allegedly were in carrying out the plot , the intelligence agency claims it seized computer files sent from Gaza that instructed Abu Sara in the manufacturing of explosives . Abu Sara allegedly mapped routes to the convention center and had checked out the U.S. Embassy . He also was accused of planning an shooting rampage on a bus going from Jerusalem to Ma'ale Adumim , an Israeli settlement in the West Bank . As part of the plan , according to Shin Bet , the attack would include shooting out the wheels of the bus in an attempt to overturn it . Former CIA operative and national security analyst Robert Baer questioned the credibility of the threat posed by Abu Sara . `` I do n't think it is credible . It may have been aspirational , '' he said on CNN 's The Lead . `` They may have had the plans on the books and sent people here and there , but al Qaeda ca n't operate in the West Bank or Jerusalem or Gaza . It is too difficult for them ... The Israelis have the place too well wired for them to get away with this . '' The United States is working to corroborate the details , State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters . `` We 've been in contact with the Israeli government regarding these threats . We 're closely monitoring the situation , '' she said . `` ... I do n't have independent corroboration of some of those specifics . Our folks are working on that right now . But because this was Israeli information , I 'd point you to them for the corroboration . But obviously we 're looking into it as well . I do n't have reason to believe it 's not true . I just do n't have independent verification . '' Ben Wedeman and Michael Schwartz reported from Jerusalem , and Chelsea J. Carter reported and wrote from Atlanta . CNN 's Elise Labott contributed to this report .
NEW : `` I do n't think it is credible . It may have been aspirational , '' an analyst says . the West Bank 's intelligence agency says a two -man operation was planning a coordinated attack . Among the targets were CNN , Jerusalem Convention Center , the agency said . Abu Sara was one of the alleged operatives , authorities said .