Israeli forces on Friday concluded a counter-terrorism operation in the Jabal Johar neighborhood of Hebron, in Judea, the military said.
Troops dismantled terrorist infrastructure, confiscated illegally held weapons and bolstered security in the area, the IDF said.
During the operation, forces encircled the neighborhood, searched approximately 350 structures and apprehended 14 wanted individuals suspected of involvement in terrorist activity and weapons possession. Troops also seized eight firearms, including M4 and M16 rifles and handguns, along with dozens of knives and additional weapons.
Israeli troops will “continue to operate to thwart terrorism and maintain the security of the residents in the area and the civilians of the State of Israel,” the military said.
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said on Wednesday that the military will work to strengthen border communities, including in Judea and Samaria, during a visit to soldiers operating in Hebron.
He said the raid in the city was part of a series of “proactive counter-terrorism operations in Judea and Samaria aimed at strengthening the defense of nearby communities.”
The IDF chief of staff emphasized the “immense importance” of operations aimed at “suppressing terror and its infrastructure.”
“We must ensure the readiness and alertness of the soldiers for eruptive terrorist incidents without prior warning,” he said.
In a separate operation, Israeli Border Police arrested a Palestinian explosives expert in the Samaria village of Shuweika this week, authorities said on Wednesday.
The suspect, identified as Fadi Bahati, was described as a key explosives manufacturer for a terrorist group operating in the Tulkarem area. He was arrested following intelligence from the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) in an operation carried out by undercover and uniformed Border Police forces under the IDF’s Ephraim Brigade.
In another operation on Wednesday, officers of the Israel Police’s Judea and Samaria District and soldiers from the IDF’s Jordan Valley Brigade arrested two 17-year-old Palestinians on suspicion of throwing rocks at Israeli civilian vehicles on Route 90 in the Jordan Valley.
On Tuesday, Israeli border police detained a Palestinian illegally within the Green Line at a construction site near Zamir’s home.
The infiltrator, from the terrorist hub of Tulkarem, was arrested along with his employer, a resident of the Arab-Israeli city of Qalansawe, located east of Netanya, the Israel Police said.
Officers were called after Zamir’s security detail reported hearing shouting in Arabic from the building site, which is located “especially close” to the chief of staff’s home, according to Channel 12 News.
“The illegal infiltrator and the suspect who employed him were arrested and transferred for questioning at a police station, and their case will continue to be handled in accordance with the law,” police stated.
