Four operatives of the “Lion’s Den” terrorist organization, who were all well known to the Israeli security establishment turned themselves into the Palestinian Authority in Nablus. One of the terrorists was Mahmoud Albana, a man considered to be the strategist behind many of the group’s activities.
Palestinian media reported that the organization turned to the PA with a request to save the life of Albana, one of the commanders of the terrorist infrastructure. According to the reports, Albana was injured in a raid by the Israel Defense Forces yesterday in Nablus. It was also reported that the PA is preparing to transfer them to protective custody in the Jericho prison.
A prominent "lion's den" leader,Mahmoud Albana,
— Adin - עדין (@AdinHaykin1) October 26, 2022
Surrendered and turned himself in along with other 2 prominent commanders out of fear the Israeli forces will assassinat them.
signs shows the "lion's den" is collapsing pic.twitter.com/OnJS9pYYnK
The reports come just a few days after a joint force of the IDF and Shin Bet agents raided a hidden apartment in the center of Nablus, which was used as a laboratory for explosives used by the Lion's Den. In the operation, five terrorists were eliminated, including one of the leaders and founders of the terrorist squad. According to Palestinian reports, Idi Sabih Hoch, Mashal Baghdadi, Hamdi Sabih Kayam, Ali Khaled Antar, and Hamdi Muhammad Sharaf were the terrorists killed in the Israeli operation.
The IDF stated that the terrorist infrastructure that was attacked is responsible, among other things, for the shooting attack in which IDF soldier Sergeant Ido Baruch was killed, among other operations that targeted Israeli citizens. In addition, tried to carry out a significant attack on Har Bracha and threw a grenade at an IDF force near a Nablus checkpoint.
Arab media says at least 5 Lions Den members have turned themselves in to PA Police custody for fear of being eliminated.
— The Israel Link (@TheIsraelink) October 27, 2022
A day before the IDF operation in Nablus’s town square (Kasbah in Arabic), another senior official in the group was eliminated, Tamer Kilani, in the explosion of a bomb attached to his motorcycle. Kilani was directly involved in sending a terrorist to Tel Aviv, which was prevented due to the vigilance of police officers.
The head of Gov Aryot Mahmoud Albana unfortunately was not seriously injured in yesterday's activity, at first the Arabs reported that he was killed, after that it was claimed that he was only seriously injured, his appearance a short time ago at the funeral of the terrorists https://t.co/eTisDIp1i0
— Sofia Gerard (@SofiaGerard3) October 25, 2022
Meanwhile, the Minister of Defense, Benny Gantz, stated that "there are not and will not be cities of refuge for terrorists. We will continue to act against anyone who tries to harm the citizens of Israel wherever and whenever necessary." The IDF emphasized that throughout the past few weeks, and even more so in the last few days, the Lion’s Den continued to recruit, plan and initiate terrorist attacks against Israeli targets. It is assumed that the group does not have any significant funding from any major international figures, but rather relies on grassroots donations platforms using social media.
