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Counter-terror arrests in Nablus and Jenin

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What happened: There have been three separate terror attacks against Israeli citizens over the last three days.

  • On Tuesday morning, there was a shooting attack in Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem. Two men, both ultra-Orthodox, were driving back from morning prayers at the Tomb of Simon the Just when they were shot at close range. They were taken to hospital in moderate condition.
  • The suspect fled the scene on foot, abandoning his Carlo gun. The attack was captured on CCTV that assisted in identifying the attacker.
  • Earlier this month, the head of the Shin Bet Security Service, Ronen Bar, revealed it had prevented more than 200 “significant” terrorist attacks since the beginning of the year. Bar said that the thwarted attacks included “about 150 shooting attacks, 20 bomb attacks, car-rammings, suicide bombings, kidnappings and more.”
  • On Monday, an Israeli man was wounded in a stabbing attack at the Gush Etzion Junction. IDF troops at the scene shot the assailant, a female Palestinian.
  • Also on Monday, there was shooting towards Kibbutz Meirav, adjacent to the West Bank. No-one was injured, but one home was damaged.
  • Yesterday, the IDF carried out a counter-terror operation in Jenin. The operation was based on intelligence that a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) cell was planning to imminently launch a terror attack. Three PIJ operatives were arrested, two of whom were experts in assembling explosives. During the arrest armed gunmen fired and threw explosive devices at the forces, who responded with live fire. Palestinian sources reported five people were wounded, one in serious condition.

Context: The attacks coincide with the end of Ramadan, a period that saw two lethal terror attacks against Israeli citizens, including the shooting of three members of the British-Israeli Dee family.

  • This week, the police announced that they prevented eight terror attacks in the last few days.
  • Earlier this month, the head of the Shin Bet Security Service, Ronen Bar, revealed it had prevented more than 200 “significant” terrorist attacks since the beginning of the year. Bar said that “over 200 significant attacks have been thwarted, including about 150 shooting attacks, 20 bomb attacks, car-rammings, suicide bombings, kidnappings and more.”
  • Yesterday, the Shin Bet cleared for publication the revelation that Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps have tried again to recruit two West Bank Palestinians to carry out terror attacks in Israel. It revealed that the men had been approached on social media and had subsequently agreed to smuggle weapons into the West Bank. They also agreed, at the request of Hezbollah, to collect intelligence about IDF activities and to recruit additional operatives to carry out more terror attacks.
  • Meanwhile, the head of the Hamas political bureau Ismail Haniyeh led a delegation of senior Hamas officials to Saudi Arabia for the first time in eight years.
  • In parallel, Palestinian Authority Chairman Abbas is also visiting Saudi Arabia and met earlier with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

Looking ahead: Next week Israel marks both Memorial and Independence Day. Security forces remain on the highest level of alert across all sectors, with intelligence suggesting more attacks are being planned.

  • The manhunt continues for the terrorists who murdered Lucy, Rina and Maia Dee.