After two suspected terrorists were arrested by special units from the Israel Police's border patrol together with a team of paratroopers near Jenin in the early hours of Monday morning, explosives were placed on the roads from which the forces exited. In addition, explosives were thrown at them and a 'Panther' class armored vehicle was damaged by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted along their route, which exploded under it, injuring a number of Israeli troops.
As a result of the IEDs, the Israel Defense Forces have been operating in Jenin to rescue the armored vehicles, an operation that has included the extremely rare use of an Apache helicopter from the Israeli Airforce. This marks the first time air support has been used by the IDF in Samaria since the Second Intifada two decades ago.
An IDF armoured vehicle was hit by a firebomb which had been planted on the road used by the IDF to exit Jenin. Several other explosives were also thrown at them. #israel #jenin #palestine #idf #attack #terrorist #bomb #military #weapons pic.twitter.com/vWPdMUXTK8
— ILTV News (@ILTVNews) June 19, 2023
The incident, which has been going on for many hours with conflicting reports, is taking place against the background of the IDF's attempt to deal with the wave of Palestinian terror that has been growing in the Northern Samaria region. The Israeli security establishment is concerned about the incident, and the IDF is checking whether this morning's activity is an "exploit ambush," in which the terrorists somehow knew the exit route of the forces or just an on-the-fly field evaluation by militants who then planted charges in the right locations and managed to hit armored vehicles. Following the increased usage of IED devices in recent weeks, the IDF is expected to add additional layers of protection to the armored "Panthers" and the other vehicles operating in hostile Palestinian territory.
Several Israeli vehicles appear to have been hit by IED’s. pic.twitter.com/8reDimkiXn
— Jay Engelmayer (@jengelmayer) June 19, 2023
At the same time as the activity, the Palestinians published footage of the IDF helicopter that launched missiles into open fields as warning shots, to keep terrorists away from the area and to assist in the rescue of the military forces and vehicles.
A few hours after the start of the incident, an IDF spokesman informed reporters that the exchange of fire was continuing, and confirmed the unusual attack at the scene. “During the departure of the forces, a military vehicle was hit by a bomb and damaged," the spokesman said. "combat helicopters fired in the area of the city of Jenin after identifying armed men in the area, in order to drive them away.”
Ask yourselves this.
— Jay Engelmayer (@jengelmayer) June 19, 2023
How would 'Press' and media outlets know exactly where to place their cameras? Look at the setup here - militants catch the attention of Israeli forces who then give chase - the militants then run behind the media line.
This is #Pallywood. pic.twitter.com/C2yVymhOl3
The Jenin Brigade of the Al-Quds Brigades, the military arm of the Islamic Jihad, accepted responsibility for placing the IEDs and throwing explosives, adding that it came "in response to the continued barbaric aggression of the occupation forces." The Islamic Jihad spokesman, Tarek Salmi, said that "We salute the heroic fighters and all the resistance fighters who defend Jenin and bravely confront the forces of terrorism and aggression." On top of the injured Israeli troops, multiple injuries, some fatal, have been reported by the Palestinians. The activity in the Jenin area this morning comes in the shadow of the security establishment's assessment that the IDF is very close to launching a broad military operation that will focus on northern Samaria.
