by Yonah Jeremy Bob
The Shin Bet said it arrested around 40 Palestinian terrorists from Bethlehem in a major bust that thwarted imminent attacks, marking the first large-scale operation under new chief David Zini.
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The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) on Thursday announced an unusually large bust of around 40 Palestinian terrorists from Bethlehem, thwarting a series of imminent major terror attacks.
Given the size of the multiple cells, the bust may be a strategic setback to Hamas and other terror groups, who may have been looking to significantly increase the wave of terror from the West Bank, at a time when they are weaker in Gaza.
The announcement also marked the first time such an operation was publicly announced since David Zini took over running the agency on October 5.
There have been two other operations publicized by the Shin Bet, one involving the arrest of an Israeli from Tiberias for spying for Iran and one seizing weapons that Iran was trying to smuggle from Jordan into the West Bank. None, however, involved imminent terror operations of this scale.
Zini is looking to make his mark as head of the agency rapidly, after months of limbo caused by political and legal battles among Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the legal establishment, and the opposition over his appointment.
In particular, the IDF’s reservist Etzion Brigade, along with the special forces Duvdevan and Lotar units, undertook 15 operations, with direction from the Shin Bet, to arrest the approximately 40 terrorists.
Part of the bust included seizing the terrorists’ weapons, such as M-16s.
According to the Shin Bet interrogations and probe into the plot, there were masterminds who systematically recruited and built multiple terror cells in order to carry out a series of shooting attacks against Israeli civilians and the IDF.
One of these terror cells was ready to carry out an attack imminently when the agency arrested its members, said the Shin Bet’s statement.
Had the Shin Bet not intervened, the shooting attack could have carried a heavy cost in Israeli lives.
The Shin Bet said it would continue to act with other security bodies to prevent terrorists from harming the country.
Further, the agency said that it had transferred its evidence over to the IDF West Bank Prosecution to move forward with indictments against those involved in the various terror cells.
Yonah Jeremy Bob
Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-873750
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