IDF Kills Armed Terrorist, Foils Imminent Attack in Samaria Raids

IDF soldiers encountered the terrorist holding a knife that he intended to use against them and opened fire.

By United with Israel Staff

Israeli security forces killed an armed terrorist and arrested four wanted Palestinians, including a terrorist allegedly preparing an imminent attack, during a major overnight counterterror operation across Samaria, the IDF said Tuesday.

IDF troops and Border Police officers, operating under Shin Bet intelligence, carried out raids in the villages of Qabalan, Usarin, Aqraba and Yatma as part of an intensified campaign against terrorist infrastructure in the region.

In Aqraba, troops arrived to question a terrorist affiliated with a terror organization when he hurled a Molotov cocktail and an improvised explosive device at them, according to the IDF. No Israeli forces were wounded.

The terrorist then barricaded himself inside a building, prompting troops to surround the structure and employ the military’s so-called “pressure cooker” procedure before entering.

Soldiers from the Nahal Reconnaissance Battalion encountered the terrorist holding a knife that the IDF said he intended to use against them and opened fire, killing him.

Elsewhere during the operation, Israeli forces arrested four wanted Palestinians, including three terrorists accused of trafficking weapons and another who the IDF said was planning to carry out an attack in the immediate future.

Troops searched some 70 locations and questioned approximately 60 wanted suspects across the four villages. Ammunition, a launcher and other military equipment were also discovered.

The raids came amid a string of major counterterror operations in Samaria in recent days.

On Sunday, IDF troops and Yamam counterterror officers dismantled a 10-member Hamas cell in the village of Aqaba that the military said was advancing attacks against Israelis. Forces discovered a rocket without a launcher as well as an M16 rifle and a large quantity of explosives intended for manufacturing explosive devices.

The latest operation also followed Monday’s stabbing attack near Usarin, in which a Palestinian terrorist seriously wounded an Israeli farmer before fleeing. IDF troops launched a manhunt and killed the attacker about an hour later after the military said he attempted to stab soldiers who tracked him down near Idhna.

In another recent operation, Duvdevan commandos arrested a five-member terror cell in Qabatiya that the IDF said was planning an attack against Israeli civilians and security forces. Separately, troops conducting a 48-hour operation in the Shechem (Nablus) area arrested more than 10 wanted suspects and destroyed more than 30 lathes used to manufacture weapons.

The IDF has stepped up counterterror operations across Samaria in recent days amid efforts to prevent planned attacks and dismantle terrorist infrastructure.