IDF Chief of Staff: “This is an Operational Intelligence Achievement”
By: Gil Tanenbaum
The IDF Spokesman’s office has released a formal statement on last night’s raid against Hamas, conducted in a joint operation by different Israeli security forces groups. The IDF said that the action was carried out as part of ongoing coordinated intelligence and operational activities of the Central Command, the Intelligence Division, the Shin Bet (or General Security Service, Israel’s security police), the Judea and Samaria IDF Special Forces units that deal with terrorism, and the Judea and Samaria special forces units of the police.
There have been a series of joint operations carried out in recent weeks against an armed military infrastructure of the Hamas terrorist organization. Last night these forces acted to arrest wanted persons in five different operations in Judea and Samaria.
During the night raids on terrorist sites, reports the IDF, at least five terrorists were killed and others wounded, a number of terrorists were captured and weapons were seized. The operation was conducted through a special joint coordinating team of the IDF, the Shin Bet and the police.
The IDF now confirms that three of the terrorists were killed in an operation near the village of Bidu in the Binyamin Territorial region, during an exchange of gunfire between special forces and a number of Hamas operatives.
In addition to those killed, five other terrorists suspected of being members of the same group that planned to carry out terrorist activities were arrested in the area of Jenin.
During the arrest of one wanted suspect by a force from the IDF’s vaunted Duvdevan anti-terrorism unit, which was made in the village of Burkin, a short exchange of gunfire ensued. This occurred in the courtyard of a house where the arrest was made. The gunfire resulted in the wounding of an IDF officer known only as Captain D and a sergeant referred to as Sergeant Y. The IDF does not reveal the identities of its special forces unit members. The two were said to have been seriously wounded when they engaged the terrorist.
The terrorist was apprehended and a number of weapons used by the wanted persons were seized at the scene. The wounded were evacuated by helicopter to the Rambam medical center in Haifa
The IDF says that it is investigating the possibility that the two may have been hit by friendly fire.
Shortly afterward, short range gunfire was directed at a Border Police undercover unit operating in Burkin. They returned fire, neutralizing the terrorists. The same unit also arrested a different terrorist who fired on them from a passing vehicle.
The IDF Chief of General Staff, Major General Aviv Kochavi, visited the Menashe Regional Brigade today, Sunday. There, General Kochavi conducted an after action situation assessment, in which the latest developments in the sector and the readiness of Israeli security forces for the various scenarios were discussed. The meeting included the participation of the Commander of the IDF Central Command, Major General Yehuda Fox, the Commander of the Judea and Samaria Division, and the deputy chief of staff commander of the special police forces known only as H.
IDF Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi described last night’s mission as a significant achievement. The killing of the wanted terrorists, said Kochavi, prevented Israel from having to undergo a series of “significant terrorist attacks.”
“These are attacks that could have spread to Jerusalem, Netanya, Tel Aviv, Afula and anywhere else,” he said. “This is an operational intelligence achievement and this is an extraordinary cooperation between the IDF, the Shin Bet, the police,” emphasized Kochavi.
(TPS)
