A high-ranking security official commented on Tuesday evening regarding the killing of a terrorist who was carrying an explosive device near Jenin headed for a central Israeli city. "We were able to prevent a significant attack that could have drastically altered the situation in the West Bank and the heart of the country during Ramadan, potentially causing the death of many," the official said.
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In the operation to neutralize the terrorist, Mohammed Jaber, 34, from the town of Araba near Jenin, the IDF and Shin Bet took no chances. They didn't solely rely on field intelligence but acted decisively to prevent the deadly attack that was planned to be executed immediately, guided by strong intuition.
The first piece of information about the terrorist was received a few hours before the encounter. Jaber was not previously known to security forces, but certain suspicious activities that cannot be disclosed raised concerns that the terrorist was planning a serious security incident. Intelligence forces in the Menashe Regional Brigade redirected resources to the event, and the pursuit of the terrorist intensified.
Around 5:00 p.m., Jaber left his home and headed toward Jenin, where he met with several individuals before returning to his town. At this point, the IDF planned to carry out a standard and relatively simple arrest of the terrorist at his home. However, just before the forces reached him, Jaber had already left for a village near Jenin.
Upon receiving this information, operational units, including those from the Shin Bet and the Duvdevan Special Forces, were dispatched to the area. All intelligence resources were focused on the vehicle carrying the terrorist and his assistant, along with a powerful explosive device. A Duvdevan unit approached the terrorists' vehicle and blocked it. The terrorist's assistant attempted to escape from the vehicle, but the forces caught up with him and neutralized him.
Jaber himself fled to a nearby store. The forces entered and detained all those inside. At one point, the terrorist drew a gun on the soldiers and attempted to fire at them, but they managed to neutralize him with a swift response.
According to security sources, unlike in past incidents, a suicide bombing was not planned. The security forces took no risks and prepared with special forces beyond the security fence in case the special force was unable to neutralize the terrorist in Palestinian territory.
The frequency of warnings for potential attacks is on the rise. Since the start of the year, Shin Bet has successfully thwarted over 250 assaults in the West Bank territories. The central command is still conducting a thorough investigation into the pullout attack near Homesh on Friday, which resulted in injuries to seven soldiers. The military is actively taking steps to counteract the growing trend of IED attacks.