Israel launches broad counterterror sweep in Northern Samaria

Tel Aviv [Israel], November 27 (ANI/TPS): Israeli forces launched a wide counterterror operation across northern Samaria overnight, sweeping into several Palestinian towns after what the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) described as a rise in terrorist activity.

The IDF and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) said the operation was triggered by efforts by Palestinian terror groups to entrench themselves in the area, alongside an uptick in attempted attacks.

Troops moved into Tubas, Tammun, and al-Aqaba, with Palestinian media reporting a curfew, blocked roads, and bulldozers piling earth across key routes. Soldiers carried out arrests and searched for weapons. The operation is expected to last several days.

The raid comes amid continued violence since Hamas's October 7, 2023, massacre. Since then, 63 civilians and Israeli security personnel have been killed in attacks inside Israel and in Judea and Samaria, while eight additional members of the security forces have died in clashes during raids in Palestinian cities.

The sweep follows the killings of two wanted Palestinian terrorists in shootouts in northern Samaria.

On Tuesday, near Jenin, troops killed Sultan al-Ghani, the gunman behind the 2024 murder of Gideon Perry, and arrested five suspects while seizing firearms and explosives. On Monday in Shechem (Nablus), Israeli forces killed Ala Raouf Shetiyya, responsible for a 2024 car-ramming attack that killed two Israeli soldiers.

Ahead of the current operation, the IDF dropped leaflets in Tubas warning that the area had "become a haven for terrorism" and urging residents to halt terror activity or face military action. (ANI/TPS)

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