AMMAN ? A roadside bomb exploded near an Israeli embassy convoy headed to Israel from the Jordanian capital on Thursday, causing no casualties, one of the Jewish state's diplomats in Amman said.

"The Israeli embassy convoy left Amman and was headed for the Hussein bridge when the blast occurred. Nobody was hurt," the diplomat told AFP.

He was referring to the crossing between Jordan and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, also known as Allenby bridge.

Israeli media reported earlier that the bomb had detonated near the convoy taking Israeli ambassador to Jordan Dani Nevo to the Allenby crossing, 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Amman.

But sources in Jordan said it was former Israeli ambassador Yakov Rosen in the convoy, not Nevo.

The Israeli foreign ministry said it was not clear whether Nevo was in the convoy at the time.

Israel's YNet News said four embassy staff members and two security guards were in the convoy, while Haaretz newspaper said on its website that two remotely detonated bombs exploded, causing one car to flip over.

Jordan's information minister said there had been no casualties and no damage.

"While cars, including two Israeli Embassy cars, were traveling near the town of Naur on the road between Amman and the Jordan Valley a bomb exploded without causing casualties or damage. The cars were not damaged by the blast," Nabil Sharif told AFP.

"An investigation is under way to determine the circumstances of the explosion."

The minister did not say what kind of explosives had been used.

A source close to the investigation said: "The blast left a crater... 10 centimeters (four inches) deep and 80 centimeters (32 inches) wide."

An AFP photographer said police blocked all roads leading to the scene of the blast.

Israeli diplomats often travel home on Thursdays, the start of the Muslim weekend in Jordan, and return on Sundays to Jordan, which has had a peace treaty with the Jewish state since 1994.

Israeli diplomats in Jordan usually use rental cars.

There have been several attacks or attempted attacks against Israelis in Jordan since the signing of the peace treaty between the two countries, but such incidents have been rare in recent years.

In 2003, a Jordanian driver crossed the southern border with Israel and opened fire at a group of foreigners in the transit zone. He was shot by Israeli soldiers. A non-Israeli tourist was killed and five others were wounded.

Israeli analysts said there was excellent security coordination between Jordan and Israel and that Jordan had foiled several attempts to attack Israeli targets in the past.

"I'm sure this was a surprise for the Jordanians. These people are probably Islamic or Al-Qaeda that pose a danger to the Hashemite Kingdom too. As in the past they will try and deal with violent elements in their society," Ephraim Inbar, the director of the Begin-Sadat Centre for Strategic Studies, told AFP.