Israeli military forces prevented an imminent terrorist shooting attack by arresting the perpetrators during a Saturday night counterterror operation in Shechem, according to a joint statement issued by defense officials.
IDF soldiers, Israel Police counterterror Yamam officers and Shin Bet intelligence agents arrested two Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists in Samaria as they were on their way to attack Israelis.
The suspects, 21-year-old Ahmed Zakarna and 25-year-old Tariq Abu Ziyad, are residents of Qabatiya.
Both were arrested while driving their vehicle. They admitted during interrogation that they had set out from Jenin to carry out the attack.
Israeli forces seized loaded M-16 rifles, bulletproof vests, face masks and ammunition during the arrest.
Shin Bet intelligence agents are continuing to question the two suspects, the agency said.
War is Brewing in Judea and Samaria
The likelihood of a full-fledged war with terror organizations in Judea and Samaria is rising, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned again on Sunday during a review of special forces in the region.
‘We will not allow Judea and Samaria to become an Iranian proxy like Gaza or Lebanon, and we will fight terror here the same way we did there,” Katz emphasized.
Last week, Katz confirmed to Jewish community leaders in Judea and Samaria that the looming threat of full-scale war in the region is drawing closer.
“We are seeing increased efforts to promote Palestinian terrorism in Judea and Samaria through the smuggling of advanced weapons, funding and guidance from both the Iranian axis and the radical Sunni Islamic axis that is strengthening its grip on the region after the events in Syria,” Katz said.
The Ramallah government has done little if anything at all to avert such an eventuality.
Jibril Rajoub, former head of the Palestinian Authority Preventive Security Force told an interviewer recently that the Ramallah government has no problem with terror attacks against Israelis – as long as they are coordinated and carried out under PA auspices.
“Anyone who wants to turn their weapons against Israel, we are ready for that, but only in coordination with us,” said Rajoub, who has remained an official with the Ramallah government.
