Israeli security forces expanded ongoing counter-terrorism operations in Samaria to Nablus (Shechem) in the territory’s center on Tuesday.
During overnight raids in the city, security forces arrested two terrorists, as well as seized weapons and “additional combat equipment,” the Israel Defense Forces announced in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.
The Israel Police’s Unit 33, an elite intelligence-oriented undercover unit, detained Mahmoud al-Bana, a top commander in the Iranian-backed Lions’ Den terrorist coalition, according to the statement.
Al-Bana, who was carrying an M-16 assault rifle and a grenade, tried to evade arrest and was shot in his leg by police, according to the IDF.
The Nablus-based Lions’ Den was the focus of much of the IDF activity in Samaria before the Hamas-led terrorist massacre in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Meanwhile, the IDF’s elite Duvdevan commando unit arrested Khalil al-Hanbali, who had been wanted for his involvement in terrorist shooting attacks and was said to be “a key arms dealer in Judea and Samaria.”
During his arrest, weapons were found on al-Hanbali, the IDF said.
In late January, the IDF launched “Operation Iron Wall” to neutralize the threats posed by terror hubs such as Jenin and Tulkarem in northern Samaria. The ongoing counter-terrorism operations mark a change in Jerusalem’s security strategy, Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
The Israeli military has intensified its raids in the area following the Feb. 20 attempted bus bombings near Tel Aviv. Three empty buses exploded, and bombs were found on two others in a coordinated terrorist attack. At least one of the explosives reportedly bore a note, in Arabic and Hebrew, “revenge from the Tulkarem refugee camp.”
“We will not allow the arms of the Iranian octopus and radical Sunni Islam to endanger the lives of the residents and establish an eastern terrorist front against the State of Israel,” Katz said on Jan. 22, adding: “We will strike hard at the arms of the octopus until they are severed.”
