Gallant: Israel will cut off Iran’s hands ‘wherever they are’

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vowed to fight Iran’s ongoing attempts to foment violence in the Jewish state during a visit to the Binyamin region of southern Samaria on Wednesday.

“Also here in Judea and Samaria, Iran’s tentacles are trying to bring about terror attacks. Smuggling of weapons, explosives, squads, money, intelligence—all to harm Israeli citizens,” said the defense minister.

“It starts in Tehran, reaching Beirut, Damascus, Judea and Samaria and Gaza. Iran’s wicked hand can be seen everywhere,” he continued, vowing to “cut off these cruel hands wherever they are.”

Gallant spoke after a situational assessment with senior Israel Defense Forces officials near the Malachei Shalom outpost in Samaria, where Binyamin Achimeir, 14, was found murdered over the weekend.

Achimeir’s body was found on Saturday after he went missing 24 hours earlier while shepherding livestock from Gal Farm, located close to the Arab village of al-Mughayyir, 17 miles northeast of Ramallah.

Israeli forces continue to search for his killers, and Gallant on Wednesday pledged to “find the murderers and bring them to justice.”

Judea and Samaria saw a dramatic rise in terrorist attacks in 2023 compared to the previous year, with shootings reaching the highest level since the Second Intifada of 2000-2005, according to Israeli military data.

The violence has continued to escalate since Hamas started a war with its murderous rampage across the northwestern Negev last year. Since Oct. 7, at least nine Israelis have been murdered in Judea and Samaria.

As the IDF fights Hamas in Gaza, Tehran continues to instigate terror in Judea and Samaria by flooding the area with weapons, The New York Times reported last week, citing U.S., Israeli and Iranian officials.

The majority of the weapons smuggled into Judea and Samaria are small arms and assault rifles, analysts said. However, the U.S. and Israeli officials said that the Islamic Republic is also smuggling in advanced weaponry, including anti-tank missiles and rocket-propelled grenades.