Israeli forces launched a “broad” counterterrorism operation in northern Samaria following air strikes on Tuesday night, the Israel Defense Forces said.
The IDF, Israel Police and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) said that intelligence had identified efforts to make terror strongholds and build terror infrastructure in the area.
The Israel Air Force struck ahead of the activity on the ground “to isolate and contain the area,” the Jewish state said.
Following the strikes, ground forces began searching in “dozens” of structures and questioned suspects, the Israeli military said.
In one search, it found an observation and control room and confiscated funds earmarked for terrorism, per the joint statement.
Earlier this week, Israeli troops killed three terrorists in Judea and Samaria who, the military said, had taken part in terror attacks against IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians.
Israel won’t let terrorism take root in the area and IDF troops will thwart that “proactively,” the IDF and Shin Bet said.
The operation included troops from the Commando Brigade, the Samaria Regional Brigade, the Menashe Regional Brigade, the Israel Border Police and Shin Bet.
Their activity was part of a broad counterterrorism operation in the area of northern Samaria, “following a preliminary intelligence identification of attempts to establish terrorist strongholds and construction of terror infrastructures in the area,” Israel said.
Earlier this month, the IDF completed a three-day “Lion’s Roar” training exercise in the Judea, Samaria and Jordan Valley area which involved the Judea and Samaria Division and the recently established 96th Division, led by the Central Command.
More than 180 Israeli Air Force planes provided support to ground forces, who trained for more than 40 different scenarios, the IDF said.
The exercise incorporated lessons learned from Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks, including initial strikes, recognizing the critical impact of early response, rapid readiness, deployment of special forces and full mobilization of IDF troops.
Palestinian terrorists targeted Israeli Jews in Judea and Samaria at least 6,343 times last year, according to figures published by Rescuers Without Borders (Hatzalah Judea and Samaria).
Twenty-seven Israelis were murdered in Judea and Samaria in 2024, and more than 300 others were wounded, the group said in its annual report.
