Foreign Minister Yair Lapid visited security forces near Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem on Sunday to thank them for their service and express the country's appreciation.
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Arab media characterized the visit as one in which Lapid "stormed the Bab al-Amud [Damascus Gate] area" – meaning he dared to set foot there.
Gaza's ruling Hamas terrorist organization, which is backed by Iran, warned that "the storming of the Damascus Gate by the Foreign Minister of the Zionist enemy, Yair Lapid, is a dangerous escalation and the occupation will be responsible for its consequences. We and our people pledge to protect Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque."
It was the second night in a row that Arabs rioted in the Old City of Jerusalem as night fell and the second fast of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan drew to a close.
Rioters hurled bottles, rocks and other objects at Israeli police officers who were stationed at the site to ensure a peaceful ascent to the Temple Mount compound for prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
One police officer was wounded, according to Israel Police.
Similar violence broke out Saturday night, with one police officer wounded after being hit in the head by a bottle hurled by a rioter.
Later Sunday, the Border Police's counter-terrorism unit and Shin Bet security agents arrested a Palestinian terror suspect on Route 6, near Nachshonim Junction in central Israel, after intelligence indicated he was on his way to carry out an attack inside Israel.
According to a Shin Bet statement, the suspect is an illegal resident in Israel.
He was taken in for questioning, and the highway he was arrested on was closed for traffic temporarily.
Earlier in the day, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, who was visiting soldiers on patrol in Tel Aviv, told commanders that the army must be ready for a lengthy potential conflict, which he dubbed "Operation Guardian of the Walls 2."
Channel 13 News reported that Kochavi added that the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization in Gaza may fire missiles at the south in retaliation for Israel eliminating a terrorist cell in Jenin on Saturday.
The three members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad killed in a counter-terror operation early Saturday morning in Judea and Samaria were about to carry out an attack in central Israel.
Senior Israeli security officials said that the terror cell was preparing to cross into Israel and carry out an attack in the center of the country in a similar way to the terrorist who killed five people last week in Bnei Brak.
Officials from the Shin Bet said the terrorists had already switched the license plates on their vehicle from the Palestinian Authority to Israel.
The three terrorists were killed in the operation, while an officer from the Israel Police's Counter Terror Unit (Yamam) was seriously wounded, another moderately wounded and three lightly wounded.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett paid a visit to the Shin Bet's Samaria headquarters together with agency chief Ronen Bar and the IDF GOC Central Command Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fuchs, while Defense Minister Benny Gantz also visited with Shin Bet units Sunday evening.
The prime minister held a situation assessment, during which he received intelligence briefings of the operation to neutralize the terrorist cell in Jenin on Saturday, and also discussed the ongoing situation.
Bennett then visited the Shin Bet's counterintelligence unit in Samaria and observed the various methods used to collect intelligence that is used to foil future attacks.
"Over the weekend, security forces managed to foil an imminent attack before it could be carried out," Bennett said during the visit. "The terrorists have a lot of ideas and that is why we are alert to the highest extent, and this includes the Shin Bet and the Israel Police so that we could identify even the slightest plot and frustrate it in time. Here on the security barrier, the IDF has now deployed in record numbers at the various breaches.
"IDF forces have been deployed in hundreds of locations along the security fence in order to cover any breaches that may exist," Bennett continued. "Our aim is to break this wave of violence."
The premier added that the country is now "in a period of heightened vigilance even as we continue with our daily lives. We want Israeli citizens to be able to get on with their lives, which is why security forces are on high alert and engaged in hundreds of different activities. Together, we will put in the effort and break this wave of violence."
"We have entered a new phase of a long routine aimed at breaking the wave of terrorism," he said, referring to Operation Breakwater, launched after 11 people were killed by terrorists in three attacks in the span of a week.
According to Bar, the Shin Bet is "currently operating in many areas, in all parts of the country, in Judea and Samaria, on the internet, and in Gaza.
"Prime Minister, you encounter here a sharp, determined, skilled organization that learns while on the move and under fire. On Saturday we came under fire together with our brothers from the IDF and we thwarted a significant attack. I will also take this opportunity to wish 'S' [the wounded Yamam counter-terrorism officer] a swift recovery.
"During a field patrol I conducted on Saturday, I asked the sub-district coordinator in charge of the area where the attack was thwarted: 'What about our agents? Have they had a breather?' He looked at me, amazed, and replied, 'Sir, this is why we joined the Shin Bet.'"
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Bar stressed: "This is an organization of dedicated operatives, imbued with a sense of mission and broad-ranging responsibility, who do everything in their power to protect the country and save lives."
Meanwhile, London-based pan-Arab newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, which is affiliated with Qatar, quoted Egyptian officials on Sunday as saying that Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamal and Israel's National Security Adviser Eyal Hulata recently discussed ways to de-escalate tensions in the Palestinian arena. According to the Egyptian sources, the Israeli government is not interested in a military campaign at the present time, primarily due to its focus on the Iranian threat.
Hulata, according to the report, asked Cairo to intervene urgently to prevent the situation from deteriorating over the coming days and during the month of Ramadan. Egyptian officials, the report said, engaged in talks with Islamic Jihad leaders in an effort to prevent a military conflict in Judea and Samaria after its members were neutralized in Jenin on Saturday night. Al-Araby Al-Jadeed also reported that Egypt and Qatar were discussing ways to lower the flames.
Additionally, the report said the belief in Israel was that Iran is behind the current wave of violence, to some degree or another.
