IDF soldiers
IDF soldiersIsrael news photo: IDF website

The IDF foiled two attempted terrorist attacks in Samaria on Thursday night.

In the first incident, Border Police officers arrested two terrorists in their 20s at the Tapuach junction in Samaria. The terrorists were found to be carrying explosives and knives.

Sappers detonated the explosives, and no one was hurt. The two suspects were transferred to security authorities for further interrogation.

Later on Thursday night, a third terrorist armed with a knife tried to infiltrate the community of Elon Moreh in Samaria.

The terrorist was caught by IDF soldiers after he managed to penetrate the security fence and began making his way into the community.

“Thanks to the alertness of the security guard and the soldiers a terrorist attack was prevented,” the head of the Shomron Regional Council, Gershon Mesika, a resident of Elon Moreh, said after the incident.

On April 24, two terrorists were nabbed as they were trying to smuggle explosives through a checkpoint in northern Samaria.

The two Palestinian Authority residents were arrested after soldiers manning the checkpoint discovered four pipe bombs.

The bombs were destroyed by sappers in a controlled explosion, and the men were taken in for questioning.

On April 11, IDF forces stopped a would-be terrorist bomber at a checkpoint east of Shechem in northern Samaria. The terrorist was carrying improvised explosive devices, three knives, and 50 bullets.

A Border Police bomb disposal unit was called in to dismantle the explosives.

The terrorist was stopped and thoroughly searched after soldiers at the checkpoint who were questioning him became suspicious. He was placed under arrest and handed over to the security services for further investigation.

Northern Samaria has been a hotbed of terror activities perpetrated by the Hamas and Islamic Jihad organization over the past year.

Last September, the IDF and General Security Services uncovered a series of Hamas terror cells, each in various stages of planning attacks.