Israeli Special Forces surrounded a house in which terrorists were hiding and a heavy exchange of fire ensued.
By Aryeh Savir, TPS
Israeli forces entered the suburbs of the city of Shechem (Nablus) on Tuesday morning to arrest two terrorists who are suspected of carrying out a shooting attack in the Samaria area in recent weeks.
The Israeli Special Forces surrounded the house in which the two were hiding and a heavy exchange of fire ensued between the security forces and the terrorists, which included the firing of shoulder-launched rockets at the building in which the terrorists were barricading themselves.
About after two hours of fighting, the father of one of the terrorists was brought to the site and using a bullhorn, called on his son to surrender. Three suspects emerged from the building with their hands up.
A search of the house in which they were hiding exposed an M-16 rifle, a handgun, ammunition, explosive charges, and grenades.
There were no reported Israeli casualties in the incident.
The IDF stated that the two wanted persons, Nabil Tzaelhi and Nahad Awis, are suspected of carrying out the shooting attack on the security vehicle in the Israeli community of Shavei Shomron last Friday. The vehicle was damaged but no one was injured in the attack.
Senior Hamas official Abd Rahman Shadid said the terror organization “congratulates the heroes who faced the rampage of the occupation and the settlers and congratulates the heroic Nablus operation.”
The Samaria region has seen an uptick in terrorist attacks in recent weeks. On Sunday night, terrorists shot at an IDF military post adjacent to the town of Silwad and at a post near Shechem. No Israeli injuries were reported.