Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called the elimination of several senior terrorist leaders - from Hamas, Fatah and Islamic Jihad - on Saturday "a great success in the war on terrorism."
IDF sources report that eight wanted terrorists in the Shechem area were killed by Israeli forces on Saturday, the third day of a counter-terrorism operation in Shechem. Among the terrorist leaders eliminated were Naif Abu Sharah, the commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade of Yasser Arafat's Fatah organization, Faddy Bahti, a commander of the Islamic Jihad, and Jaffer Mitsri, a leader in the Hamas.
Among many other attacks, Abu Sharah behind a suicide bombing in Tel-Aviv, in January 2003, in which 23 civilians were murdered and dozens were injured, and a suicide bombing in November 2002, in which two Israeli civilians were murdered and 30 were injured. His many attempts to dispatch suicide bombers were sometimes funded by the Hizbullah, sometimes by the Palestinian Authority. Islamic Jihad commander Bahti and Hamas leader Mitsri were each responsible for dispatching terrorists and for their organization's respective explosives laboratories in Shechem.
In the counter-terror operation, nine soldiers sustained light and light-to-moderate injuries, apparently from smoke inhalation.
The encounter began when an IDF force conducting searches in Shechem opened fire at two gunmen, killing one of them, a senior terrorist of the Fatah Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade in Shechem. The second terrorist escaped into a secret hideout under the floor of the house. After calling for those inside the hidden basement to come out, the soldiers hurled in smoke grenades and hand grenades. One of the terrorists fled and was caught, but in a subsequent grenade volley, seven other top wanted terrorists who hid inside were killed.
The curfew imposed on the residents of Shechem four days ago was lifted today.
IDF sources report that eight wanted terrorists in the Shechem area were killed by Israeli forces on Saturday, the third day of a counter-terrorism operation in Shechem. Among the terrorist leaders eliminated were Naif Abu Sharah, the commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade of Yasser Arafat's Fatah organization, Faddy Bahti, a commander of the Islamic Jihad, and Jaffer Mitsri, a leader in the Hamas.
Among many other attacks, Abu Sharah behind a suicide bombing in Tel-Aviv, in January 2003, in which 23 civilians were murdered and dozens were injured, and a suicide bombing in November 2002, in which two Israeli civilians were murdered and 30 were injured. His many attempts to dispatch suicide bombers were sometimes funded by the Hizbullah, sometimes by the Palestinian Authority. Islamic Jihad commander Bahti and Hamas leader Mitsri were each responsible for dispatching terrorists and for their organization's respective explosives laboratories in Shechem.
In the counter-terror operation, nine soldiers sustained light and light-to-moderate injuries, apparently from smoke inhalation.
The curfew imposed on the residents of Shechem four days ago was lifted today.