Israel expects recent terror attacks across the West Bank to be “just the beginning” as Palestinian terror group Hamas appears emboldened by internal divisions within Israel, security establishment sources assessed on Tuesday morning, according to Army Radio.
The defense sources also linked tensions in Israel’s northern border with Lebanon and Hezbollah to recent attacks, the latest of which claimed the life of an Israeli mother near Hebron on Monday.
The link, as per the sources, is the Iranian funding of terror activities by Hezbollah, as well as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Netanyahu, Gallant speak out against Iran
Army Radio’s report comes after both Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Iran in the wake of the Hebron attack.
Gallant said that “it is important to understand the significant change that is taking place on the ground – it is related to Iranian funding, and to the proliferation of weapons under the Iranian directive. “Iran seeks every means to harm the citizens of Israel,” he stated.
Israeli troops stand guard, near the scene of a shooting, near Hebron, in the West Bank August 21, 2023. (credit: MUSSA QAWASMA/REUTERS)“We are in the middle of a terrorist onslaught that is encouraged, guided and funded by Iran and its proxies,” the prime minister said at the scene.
Shalom Ben Hanan, a former senior official in Israel’s security agency the Shin Bet, told 103FM on Tuesday morning that Netanyahu’s comments “are serious. This is not as ridiculous as it sounds.
“There was no overt direction [from Iran],” Ben Hanan explained, “but Iran has been heavily funding terror in the region.
Two terror suspects arrested
Ben Hanan also praised Israeli security forces, who overnight on Tuesday arrested two Palestinians who admitted to carrying out the Hebron attack, as per the IDF.
“Another accomplishment, one that shows true determination and a very high level of professionalism and expertise. Caught in under 24 hours, confessed to the attack during the investigation, all of that while we were sleeping,” the former Shin Bet officials told 103FM. “This is an extraordinairy achivement.”
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