The number of Arab attacks against Israelis is down. IDF officials say that the decrease in attacks is a direct result of ongoing military offensives into areas under PLO control. Israeli forces have intensified their strikes at terrorist targets in Arab towns following the Wednesday night massacre of ten Israeli citizens on a public bus and the subsequent cabinet decision that “Arafat is no longer relevant.”
Most notable over the weekend was the IDF incursion into the Arab town Beit Hanoun, located along the southern Mediterranean coast. Beginning Friday night, Israeli forces entered the town and unfurled the Israeli flag which remained flying until the completion of the operation Saturday night. PLO structures were destroyed, as was the unoccupied home of a senior Hamas terrorist commander. There were no injuries to Israeli forces, but Arab sources report that one Arab policeman and three youths were killed. IDF commanders stress that only persons that were armed were fired upon, and if youths were hit by gunfire, it is because they were armed. Fifteen terrorist suspects were arrested. The town of Beit Hanoun is considered a stronghold of Hamas terrorists.
As the IDF operation into Beit Hanoun was ending Saturday night, army forces accompanied by tanks and bulldozers raided the Shomron Arab village of Tamoun, an hour east of Netanya. Military sources explained the objective of the incursion was to cut off the routes between PLO-controlled Shechem and the Jordan Valley to the east. Those roads serve as alternative routes to the Jenin area, from which numerous terrorist attacks have been launched. Until last night, terrorists could travel freely between these destinations and circumvent areas under Israeli control.
Thursday night, IDF forces killed 6 terrorists and arrested tens in operations near Shechem and Hevron.
The IDF remains in position in many neighborhoods of Ramallah (just north of Jerusalem), where PLO leader Yasser Arafat remains grounded. Last week the army took down the largest broadcast antenna there and destroyed several buildings adjacent to Arafat’s headquarters.
Some critics say that the IDF is mobilizing many forces and making much commotion, but no significant strike against the terrorist infrastructure is being accomplished. But Arutz Sheva Correspondent Haggai Huberman disagrees:
\"The bombing currently underway against structures in PLO areas is knocking out significant targets that were chosen by the intelligence community and IDF to weaken the Palestinian Authority. Beyond this, many wanted terrorists have been rounded up, and more important than their being behind bars, is the vast intelligence information obtained through interrogating them. This information is of great value… The ground forces are striking at Islamic Jihad and Hamas terrorists and apprehending them.\"
Despite the overall decrease in terrorist activity, security forces throughout Israel remain on heightened alert against attacks planned to coincide with the end of the Muslim month of Ramadan. Intelligence community warnings have resulted in continued deployment of large numbers of forces throughout Israel.
Most notable over the weekend was the IDF incursion into the Arab town Beit Hanoun, located along the southern Mediterranean coast. Beginning Friday night, Israeli forces entered the town and unfurled the Israeli flag which remained flying until the completion of the operation Saturday night. PLO structures were destroyed, as was the unoccupied home of a senior Hamas terrorist commander. There were no injuries to Israeli forces, but Arab sources report that one Arab policeman and three youths were killed. IDF commanders stress that only persons that were armed were fired upon, and if youths were hit by gunfire, it is because they were armed. Fifteen terrorist suspects were arrested. The town of Beit Hanoun is considered a stronghold of Hamas terrorists.
As the IDF operation into Beit Hanoun was ending Saturday night, army forces accompanied by tanks and bulldozers raided the Shomron Arab village of Tamoun, an hour east of Netanya. Military sources explained the objective of the incursion was to cut off the routes between PLO-controlled Shechem and the Jordan Valley to the east. Those roads serve as alternative routes to the Jenin area, from which numerous terrorist attacks have been launched. Until last night, terrorists could travel freely between these destinations and circumvent areas under Israeli control.
Thursday night, IDF forces killed 6 terrorists and arrested tens in operations near Shechem and Hevron.
The IDF remains in position in many neighborhoods of Ramallah (just north of Jerusalem), where PLO leader Yasser Arafat remains grounded. Last week the army took down the largest broadcast antenna there and destroyed several buildings adjacent to Arafat’s headquarters.
Some critics say that the IDF is mobilizing many forces and making much commotion, but no significant strike against the terrorist infrastructure is being accomplished. But Arutz Sheva Correspondent Haggai Huberman disagrees:
\"The bombing currently underway against structures in PLO areas is knocking out significant targets that were chosen by the intelligence community and IDF to weaken the Palestinian Authority. Beyond this, many wanted terrorists have been rounded up, and more important than their being behind bars, is the vast intelligence information obtained through interrogating them. This information is of great value… The ground forces are striking at Islamic Jihad and Hamas terrorists and apprehending them.\"
Despite the overall decrease in terrorist activity, security forces throughout Israel remain on heightened alert against attacks planned to coincide with the end of the Muslim month of Ramadan. Intelligence community warnings have resulted in continued deployment of large numbers of forces throughout Israel.