IDF thwarts major attack at Samaria army base, 2 terrorists killed

Earlier in the day, a 27-year-old woman from Hebron was arrested on suspicion of attempting to carry out a stabbing attack in the Cave of the Patriarchs. 

By World Israel News Staff

Three terrorists armed with Carlo-type weapons arrived Friday morning at the Salem outpost in northern Samaria and opened fire at the base gate, Israel’s Hebrew-language media reported.

Israeli Border Police responded and neutralized the terrorists. Two were killed, and the third was wounded and taken to hospital in serious condition. No Israeli casualties were reported.

“The terrorists fired at the gate of the base. Border Police officers and an IDF soldier responded by firing and neutralizing the three terrorists,” police said in a statement.

Knives were also found in the terrorists’ possession.

According to a preliminary investigation, the terrorists apparently crossed the separation fence from the Jenin area into the Green Line or at the footpath that leads to the military court in Salem.

The head of the Shomron Regional Council, Yossi Dagan, praised the border fighters for preventing a deadly attack.

“These difficult days remind us again and again that we are one people. The entire people of Israel and the settlement in Samaria as part of it will defeat the cowardly terror of the Palestinian Authority. I call on the government to learn from the fighters on the ground how to seek contact and eliminate terrorism,” Dagan said.

Earlier in the day, a 27-year-old female Hebron resident was arrested on suspicion of attempting to carry out a stabbing attack in the Cave of the Patriarchs.

According to the police statement, the fighters noticed the suspect arriving at one of the checkpoints “stressed and frightened.” When they opened an investigation, they found a knife in her possession. She was taken for questioning, at the end of which she was taken to the Sharon Prison.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has blamed Israel for the recent escalation of violence in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. According to a statement from his spokesman, Nabil Abu Radina, “the continued aggression of Israel and the violation of the rights of the Palestinians, along with the incident today in Salem, is what will create tensions and sharp escalation.”

The identities of the terrorists are still being investigated by Israeli security officials.