- IDF chief says unrest may divert troops from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria; army kills Palestinian gunman who shot reservist in West Bank; two East Jerusalem teens killed by Border Police
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has reportedly warned that Israel’s failure to curb the recent surge in settler violence across the West Bank risks undermining the military’s ability to manage critical fronts in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.
According to a Channel 12 news report Friday, Zamir warned during unspecified internal deliberations that “if we don’t stop the Jewish rioters,” Israel could find itself forced to divert significant military resources away from the northern and southern borders to deal with escalating chaos in the West Bank.
“These anarchists could set the area aflame in a moment,” he was quoted as saying, creating a situation in which forces would need to be “immediately diverted from the Gaza and Lebanon borders… without there being any security interest in doing so right now.”
“If this thing isn’t dealt with, it could interfere with everything. We are in a critical period and the focus needs to be on Gaza and Lebanon,” he reportedly warned.
His reported remarks came as Israel continues to contend with active fighting on both fronts. In Gaza, Israeli troops remain deployed under a fragile US-brokered ceasefire, with 100-200 Hamas operatives believed to be trapped in tunnels beneath Rafah and gunmen crossing the so-called Yellow Line to carry out near-daily attacks on troops. Three slain hostages remain in the Strip.
On the northern front, the Israel Defense Forces has intensified airstrikes on Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon amid growing fears of further escalation.
Zamir’s reported warning came after a wave of reported settler attacks overnight Thursday to Friday, during which Palestinian communities across the West Bank said settlers torched buildings, vandalized property, assaulted residents and burned more than a dozen vehicles in seven separate attacks. No arrests were reported.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel “will take very forceful action” against the “riots” in the West Bank, calling the country “a nation of laws.” It was his first public remark on the recent violence, following months of international criticism and repeated calls from Washington to curb settler attacks.
Earlier this week, the security establishment reportedly drafted new recommendations to address Jewish nationalist crime in the West Bank, following what officials describe as a sharp rise in serious incidents over the past year.
Separately, the IDF and the Shin Bet said Friday that troops conducted multiple counter-terrorism raids over a 35-hour span, fatally shooting the Palestinian gunman who moderately wounded a reservist and arresting several additional suspects.
According to the agencies, Yamam counterterrorism officers raided the village of Tell, near Nablus, where the assailant, described as “active in the Palestinian police,” opened fire with a long rifle before being shot dead.
Troops from the Givati Brigade arrested another suspect at the scene, identified as a fellow member of the Palestinian Authority police.
In additional raids, Duvdevan commandos arrested a gunman who had fired at IDF troops in Burqin, and Yamam forces detained another suspect in the Fara’a refugee camp.
All detainees were transferred to the Shin Bet for questioning. No Israeli forces were injured in the operations.
In a separate overnight operation in East Jerusalem’s Kafr Aqab neighborhood, Border Police officers shot and killed two Palestinian teenagers identified by the Palestinian Authority health ministry as Amr Marboua, 18, and Sami Mashaikha, 16.
Police said the operation targeted “hostile elements in the area who acted to harm security forces and create violent riots.”
Dozens of Palestinians reportedly rioted during the raid, throwing stones and setting off fireworks. Additionally, police said that “heavy gunfire was heard, whose source was not identified.”
Police said troops fired at four suspects who posed a “real threat” and that the wounded were evacuated by medical officials.
BY: The Times Union
