A Kamikaze one-way drone carrying a pipe bomb was found Wednesday (Jan. 22) near the Jewish community of Yitzhar, in Samaria. The origin/launch site of the drone is not yet clear, but it is believed to have come from the village of Midama.
Military sappers defused the bomb. The incident represents a significant escalation in the level of the attempted terror attacks against Israel by PA Arabs.
A second drone was launched at Yitzhar later in the evening, according to a report by Amit Segal.
There is reason to suspect that the drone was constructed with funding and guidance from Iran.
DM Warns of War in Judea & Samaria, Due to Iranian Funding and Incitement
Earlier this month, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned the IDF is 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.”
Israel Launches Counterterror Operation in Jenin
On Tuesday (Jan. 21) IDF troops, Shin Bet agents and Israel Border Police forces began a counterterrorism operation in Jenin aimed at addressing the rise in terror attack emanating from the city.
In the past 24 hours, Israeli security forces have hit over 10 terrorists and carried out aerial strikes on terror infrastructure sites. Israeli forces also worked to dismantle numerous explosives planted on the routes by the terrorists. The operation is continuing.
About Kamikaze Drones
The HESA Shahed (“Witness) 136 drone, “Geran-2” (Geranium 2) in Russian, is an Iranian-designed loitering munition which takes the form of an autonomous pusher-propelled drone. The UAV is designed and manufactured by the Iranian state-owned corporation HESA in association with Shahed Aviation Industries.
The company came under US sanctions in November 2022 in response to Iran providing Moscow with the drones, “which Russia has used in devastating attacks against civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.”
According to the US, Shahed Aviation Industries Research Center (SAIRC) is subordinate to the IRGC ASF and has designed and manufactured several Shahed-series UAV variants, including the Shahed-136 one-way attack drone.
