Security forces are examining a cave excavated near the community of Horeshim in the eastern Sharon region, close to Rosh HaAyin and Highway 6, after a civilian discovered it on Saturday.
Digging tools were found inside the cave, but it is not yet known who excavated it or for what purpose.
Following the discovery, security forces and specialized engineering personnel arrived at the site and began examining the findings and conducting searches in the surrounding area.
In a statement issued today, the IDF said initial examinations indicated that the site was a cave excavated without an exit or a tunnel passage.
The IDF ruled out the possibility that it was a tunnel. However, digging tools were found inside, and the military did not provide details about who had excavated the cave or why.
The IDF added that no weapons were found inside the cave or in its vicinity, and that examinations of the findings and searches in the area were continuing.
Although the IDF has determined that the site is not a tunnel, the discovery of digging tools raises questions about the purpose of the underground space. Among other things, questions have been raised about whether the excavation was intended to be expanded later into a more extensive underground passage.
The discovery of the cave near Horeshim follows other incidents in which underground excavations have been found in Judea and Samaria.
Several weeks ago, a deep and substantial shaft was discovered in the Tulkarm area. Police initially announced that a tunnel had been uncovered, but shortly afterward, the IDF issued a clarification stating that it was a shaft, not a tunnel.