IDF conducts mass counterterrorism raid in Jenin
Massive IDF forces, including several elite units, conducted a counterterrorism operation in Jenin early Sunday morning in the Palestinian Authority (PA) city of Jenin and arrested several terror suspects, following the terror attack in Tel Aviv on Thursday night which claimed the lives of three Israelis.
The Israeli forces in Jenin. (IDF)
The IDF stated that its Special Forces, including the Shayetet 13 Naval Commandos, the Egoz Unit, the Golani Reconnaissance Unit, and other security forces “acted on precise intelligence” and arrested eight suspects for involvement in terrorist activity.
During the counterterrorism operation, the forces and local terrorists exchanged fire, and at least two armed Islamic Jihad terrorists were shot.
The IDF also carried out an extensive operation of arrests and searches for illegal weapons during the night in the village of Yabed, the village from which the terrorist who carried out the shooting attack in Bnei Brak came from.
The Palestinian Authority’s WAFA news agency reported that at least 13 suspects were arrested in the raids, and six others were injured in the exchange of fire with Israeli forces in the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Ramallah areas.
No Israeli soldiers were hurt in any of the clashes.
On Saturday night, an IDF unit identified a vehicle approaching the security fence in the Jenin sector, from which a bag was thrown. The forces seized the bag, which contained a Carlo-type submachine gun and ammunition. The forces apparently thwarted another attack in Israel.
On Friday night, Israeli forces raided the Jenin home of Ra’ad Hazem, the terrorist who carried out the attack in Tel Aviv. According to the PA’s Health Ministry, one terrorist was killed and at least 13 others were wounded in the clashes.
Chief of Aviv Kochavi stated that “our mission is very simple. We need to stop terrorism, restore security and a sense of security and we will do whatever it takes, as long as it takes, for security and a sense of security to return.”
Israel has experienced four severe terror attacks in recent weeks. On Thursday night, a terrorist from Jenin shot and killed three Israelis in the heart of Tel Aviv. Before that, a terrorist from Yabed shot and killed five people in the city of Bnei Brak. In the second attack, two Islamist terrorists shot and killed two Israelis in the city of Hadera. In Be’er Sheva, a terrorist stabbed and murdered four Israelis. Jerusalem has been the scene of several attacks as well.
The country’s security establishment is bracing for further violence, especially as Ramadan coincides with Passover, and following the first anniversary of Operation Guardian of the Walls in May 2021, which was launched by the IDF following a Hamas rocket attack on Jerusalem that began at the height of the Month of Ramadan.
