Israeli forces on Wednesday carried out the first targeted air strike in years to eliminate a terror cell in the West Bank city of Jenin, a known Islamic stronghold.
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The IDF and the Shin Bet security agency issued a joint statement confirming the attack on a car with three terrorists inside – Muhammad Awais, 28, Ashraf a-Saadi, 17, and Suhaib al-Ghoul, 27. They were identified as two operatives of the Jenin battalion of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group and a member of Fatah's Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
"A short while ago, following precise intelligence of the Shin Bet, IDF soldiers identified a terrorist cell inside a suspicious vehicle, after the cell carried out a shooting near the town of Jalamah," the statement said. "The terrorist cell carried out a number of shooting attacks against settlements throughout Judea and Samaria lately. After identifying the terrorist cell, an IDF drone fired toward the cell and thwarted them."
The IDF spokesman, Brig. Gen. Daniel Hagari, said that this type of attack hasn't been used by the Israeli military since 2006.
"We opened fire from a Zik-type drone of the artillery corps at the vehicle after firing at the crossing. There were three people and three weapons in the vehicle, their identity is currently being investigated by the Shin Bet. This type of thwarting was last time used in 2006," he said.
The PIJ vowed to avenge the deaths of their operatives.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant praised the security forces who carried out the attack, reiterating that Israel will take a "proactive approach" in the fight against terrorism and "will pursue and catch our enemies. According to Palestinian reports, the IDF had entered Jenin, with gunfire heard in the area.
The air strike comes a day after a terrorist shooting attack killed four Israeli civilians near the village of Eli.
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
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