Full closure placed on territories
Security forces have 22 warnings on intentions to carry out suicide bombings and kidnappings in Israel
Defense Minister Amir Peretz ordered on Wednesday a full closure on Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip. The closure will take effect from Wednesday night and will last until Saturday night, following 22 warnings of terror attacks held by security forces.
Police raised the level of alert to maximum across the country and has increased its forces with an emphasis on the green line and the Jerusalem area.
The attempts of terror organizations to carry out attacks in Israel have been seen in the past three days through a series of arrests of suicide bombers.
On Wednesday a terrorist was captured in the industrial area of Hod Sharon who planned to blow himself up in a place packed with people. On Monday a suicide bomber was apprehended in Tzahal Square in Jerusalem. The bomber was in possession of a bag containing an explosives belt, and five kilograms of explosives. The two terrorists came from the Samaria area.
IDF chief of Planning Branch, Major General Yizhak Harel, said that "from an interrogation of the Palestinians who barricaded themselves in the government compound in Nablus it became clear that among terror organizations there is high motivation to carry out attack. In the past two days two terrorists have been apprehended, one in Hod Hasharon and the second in Jerusalem."
Hizbullah in touch with West Bank groups?
Police have been on the highest state of alert since Wednesday following the security developments. Most of the warnings in the hands of the security forces arrived from the Samaria region, and are linked to the Islamic Jihad organization. The warnings are tied to suicide bombings, high trajectory weapons attack, and kidnapping attacks.
A defense source told Ynet that the security forces have intelligence that Hizbullah turned to terror organizations in Judea and Samaria and instructed them to carry out attacks in order to open up a third front in addition to the northern and southern fronts. Judea and Samara Division chief, Brigadier General Yair Golan, told Ynet: "We know that terror organizations are trying to create a third front in addition to the two other fronts."
In the last 24 hours the IDF has been operating in Ramallah and Nablus. In Ramallah a wanted suspect has been caught who the IDF says planned to carry out a kidnapping. In Nablus IDF activities continue around the city's government compound against wanted suspects seeking to carry out attacks.
One suspect has turned himself in, who the IDF says was responsible for the kidnapping of the American citizen in Nablus, and who planned to carry out an additional kidnapping in the coming days.
