Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) intensified their counterterror campaign across Judea and Samaria this week, launching coordinated overnight operations aimed at thwarting immediate threats and dismantling terror infrastructure. Security officials reported the destruction of a significant explosives cache in the Nur a-Shams area of northern Samaria and the arrest of twenty wanted suspects in raids spanning several regional brigades, including six accused of stone-throwing targeting Israeli civilians and security personnel.
The main action centered in Nur a-Shams, where forces from the IDF’s Kfir Brigade—during ongoing operations in the northern sector—discovered a concealed stockpile of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), prepared and hidden for future attacks. Military engineers neutralized and destroyed the cache, with officials confirming that such finds are evidence of coordinated terror efforts by Iranian-backed groups, notably Hamas and Islamic Jihad, to destabilize the area and inflict harm on Israelis.
Simultaneously, the elite Duvdevan Unit executed precise arrests in the al-Aroub area of the Etzion sector, detaining six individuals suspected of stone-throwing—a method of attack that has resulted in serious injuries and, on occasion, fatalities. The other fourteen detainees were captured in additional sweeps, with all suspects transferred for interrogation by Israeli security agencies. Investigators are reviewing each individual’s suspected involvement in organized terror activity, support roles, or facilitating attacks on Israeli targets.
Military officials emphasized that these operations are part of a broader national strategy to prevent a resurgence of violence following the unprecedented Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023—the deadliest single antisemitic atrocity since the Holocaust. On that day, Hamas terrorists and their collaborators killed over 1,200 Israelis and abducted more than 250 civilians, triggering the current phase of sustained conflict between Israel and the Iranian-supported axis. The threat landscape in Judea and Samaria has since evolved, with an increase in the smuggling of weapons and IEDs, and the exploitation of local residents—sometimes including minors—as operatives by terror factions.
IDF spokespersons stated that every arrest follows rigorous intelligence and legal protocols designed to identify genuine security threats and distinguish them from uninvolved civilians, who are sometimes used as shields or pawns by terror groups. These policies contrast starkly with the documented brutality of Iranian-backed organizations, which regularly employ abduction, torture, and civilian exploitation against both Israelis and their own populations.
Security experts attribute the level of coordination and armaments in these attacks to sustained material and logistical support from Iran. Financial transfers, technical doctrine, and arms smuggling continue to flow from Tehran to its regional proxies, further entrenching instability and violence. The destruction of the Nur a-Shams explosives cache is the latest in a series of interdictions; since the onset of the Iron Swords War, Israeli forces have reportedly foiled more than 2,000 terror plots in Judea and Samaria, including shootings, stabbings, bombings, and attempted kidnappings.
Israel’s military doctrine, as articulated by Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir and government leadership, is unequivocal: active defense and preemptive action are essential for securing Israeli lives and preventing a recurrence of mass casualty events. The IDF continues to integrate advanced surveillance, intelligence sharing with allies, and ground operations to minimize the capabilities of terror networks operating across the region—in full compliance with international legal norms governing self-defense and oversight mechanisms designed to protect local civilian populations.
At the same time, the government affirms its commitment to dialogue and stability. Israel’s officials continue to emphasize the distinction between lawful self-defense against organized terror and the targeting of innocent civilians by Iranian-sponsored groups. Detainees apprehended during these operations are given due process, while the hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7—some still held in Gaza—remain a focus of Israeli national concern and global humanitarian advocacy.
These latest operations underscore Israel’s determination to eradicate the terror infrastructure in Judea and Samaria, block the escalation orchestrated by Iran’s network of proxies, and protect its civilian population from ongoing existential threats. Security officials vow that these efforts—rooted in professionalism and adherence to the rule of law—will persist as long as hostile forces threaten the stability and safety of the region.
