The Israel Defense Forces destroyed over a dozen lathes used for manufacturing weapons during a nightly counter-terrorism operation in Samaria, the military said on Tuesday.
In the “targeted overnight counterterrorism” raid on Sunday, IDF reservists and combat engineering units disabled 18 “lathes used for manufacturing weapons, including firearms and explosive devices, which were found in the heart of a civilian area,” the army stated.
The raids in the Nablus (Shechem) area also saw Israeli forces confiscate weapon parts, according to the statement.
Last week, Israel security forces foiled an attempt to smuggle dozens of weapons in the Jordan Valley area, and apprehended a suspect in his 20s involved in the case.
The operation was carried out by IDF troops, the Judea and Samaria Border Police and officers of the Judea and Samaria District Police, after picking up on indications of preparations for a weapons smuggling attempt across the Jordan border, a statement read.
In total, 23 Glock pistols, three Kalashnikov rifles, one M16 rifle and additional weapons were confiscated and transferred to the Israel Police’s Judea and Samaria District for further investigation, along with the suspect from Bethlehem, the IDF and Israel Police said.
Palestinian terrorists targeted Israeli Jews in Judea and Samaria at least 5,051 times in 2025, according to data published by the Rescuers Without Borders (Hatzalah Judea and Samaria) NGO.
The figures do not include the hundreds of violent attacks on Israeli security personnel occurring during ongoing counterterrorism operations in Arab towns under the control of the Palestinian Authority.
Twenty-four Israelis were murdered in Judea and Samaria in 2025, and more than 400 others were wounded, according to the group’s annual report.
The findings, which were cross-checked against official data from Israeli security agencies, included 3,299 instances of rock-throwing, 458 firebomb attacks, 655 attempts to blind drivers with laser pointers, 286 attacks involving explosives and 19 shootings.
