A vehicle rigged with explosives in the form of two large gas cylinders connected to a detonation mechanism was discovered and neutralized Monday morning at the entrance to Ateret, an Israeli settlement in the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council in the West Bank, according to security forces and the council.
Police and military sappers were called to handle the car bomb, which was identified after a resident in the area reported its suspicious activity at around 04:30 a.m. A security official said a major bombing attack was averted thanks to the man's vigilance.
"A great miracle took place in Binyamin this morning," said Israel Ganz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council. "Terrorism in the West Bank requires a military response just like it does in Gaza and Rafah. The population must be relocated and the terrorist neighborhoods and infrastructure must be dismantled."
A security source commented on the foiled attack, saying: "We're placing immense pressure on terrorist organizations. About 30 terrorists have already been eliminated in the northern West Bank, Jordan Valley and the Hebron area. A major attack was prevented thanks to a resident's vigilance and quick cooperation between the civilian security officials and military forces, who acted swiftly and prevented harm to Israelis."
The IDF reported that a suspicious vehicle had been identified near the settlement. A patrol and military force on routine duty spotted the vehicle and secured the area. "IDF forces and bomb squads are currently at the scene," the army's statement read.
The police added that the IDF force arriving at the scene couldn't determine the vehicle's contents initially due to its tinted windows, but Border Police sapping units identified it as a car bomb and began to neutralize it.
The foiled bombing attack comes amid growing concerns about bomb threats in the West Bank and follows the prevention of a double car bombing attack in Gush Etzion last weekend, involving two rigged vehicles.