Israeli forces on Tuesday morning arrested a member of the Lions’ Den terrorist group during an operation in Nablus.
Troops detained Palestinian Wasim Zaher Estitiyeh, 26, a member of the terror organization who perpetrated recent shooting attacks in the area, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
Gunfire was heard in the area although the troops apparently did not come under direct attack, the army said.
The security forces arrested an additional 15 Palestinians in counter-terrorism raids across Judea and Samaria.
During a raid in Ya’bad, 12 miles west of Jenin, Palestinians targeted troops with an explosive device, and in Anata. 2.5 miles northeast of Jerusalem’s Old City, riot dispersal methods were used as Palestinians threw Molotov cocktails at soldiers.
The Palestinians were arrested over suspected involvement in terrorist activities and are being questioned by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency).
In 2022, Judea and Samaria saw one of its most violent years in the last 15, with 285 terrorist shooting attacks compared to 61 in 2021, according to an IDF report.
The defense establishment is deeply disturbed by the Palestinian Authority’s lack of sovereignty in areas of Samaria such as Jenin and Nablus, which became centers of terrorism this year, the document continued.
Thirty-one Israelis—24 of them civilians—were murdered by terrorists in 2022, compared to four in 2021.
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