The terrorist who placed a roadside bomb along the Route 65 highway in northern Israel on March 13 infiltrated the country from Lebanon using a ladder to climb over the border fence, the Israel Defense Forces cleared for publication on Tuesday.
The terrorist was not spotted by soldiers at lookout posts, nor did he set off the detection system, said the military.
The IDF on Monday said that the terrorist did not infiltrate the border via a tunnel but did not elaborate. “The IDF continues to study and investigate the incident in order to draw the necessary operational conclusions,” it said in a statement.
The military has not named who it believes dispatched the terrorist, but it is suspected that Hezbollah was involved.
The bomb, which was placed behind a barrier near Megiddo Junction some 18 miles southeast of Haifa and 37 miles from the Lebanese border, detonated at around 6 a.m., seriously wounding Shareef ad-Din, 21, a resident of the Israeli Arab town of Salem.
After the blast, the IDF, Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Israel Police launched an intensive search for the terrorist, including the establishment of roadblocks in northern Israel. The terrorist, who was equipped with a suicide vest and a rifle, was killed by security forces after being stopped at a checkpoint near the village of Ya’ara.
Security sources believe the suspect likely planned to carry out an additional attack before possibly seeking to return to Lebanon.
On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that progress was being made in the investigation into the bombing, and vowed to exact a price from those responsible.
“Following the assessment today on the northern border, I am impressed by the progress of the probe into the incident, the deployment of forces in the [northern] sector and the extensive intelligence work,” said Gallant.
“The determined actions of the security agencies, which led to the elimination of the terrorist and the prevention of another attack, deserve all the praise. Whoever is responsible for the attack will pay for it. We will find the right place, the correct way, and hit back,” he added.
