On Thursday night, the Israel Defense Forces mapped the homes of three terrorists involved in the fatal shooting of Yonatan Deutsch in August. The engineering process is a precursor to the planned demolition of the terrorists’ residences.
The operation, carried out in the area of the Jordan Valley and Emek HaMaayanot Brigade, involved IDF soldiers, Border police, Shin Bet agents and engineering units. It comes after one of the suspects, Wael Lahluh, was killed in a recent airstrike.
Deutsch, a 23-year-old resident of Beit She’an, was killed in a drive-by shooting near the Mehola Junction in the Jordan Valley. Another Israeli civilian was wounded in the attack. Deutsch had been recently engaged to marry.
The IDF reported that Lahluh, 31, from Qabatiya in northern Samaria, continued to operate in Jenin after the attack, recruiting terrorists and planning further attacks. He was killed along with other members of a terrorist cell that had carried out several shooting attacks against communities in the Gilboa area.
Following the drone strike, the IDF conducted a targeted raid, discovering weapons, military vests and bomb materials on the bodies of the terrorists.
Deutsch’s family had requested that he be recognized as an IDF fallen soldier, citing his recent reserve duty in Gaza and upcoming scheduled reserve service as a Maglan commando. However, this request was not granted, and Deutsch was buried at Har HaMenuchot Cemetery in Jerusalem.
