File image.
On October 25, Israeli troops killed the leader of the Palestinian Lion’s Den armed group along with four of his fighters during an extensive raid in the West Bank city of Nablus.
A joint force of Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers, Shin Bet security service agents and anti-terror forces stormed Nablus in the early hours of the morning. Palestinian fighters and civilians showed fierce resistance. Clashes were reported all over the city.
In a statement, the IDF said that the main target of the operation in Nablus was Lion’s Den leader Wadee al-Houh. According to the army, al-Houh was behind numerous attacks. He was responsible for manufacturing explosive devices and procuring weapons for members of the group.
IDF troops attacked a hideout in Nablus’s old city that was allegedly being used as a bomb workshop by senior members of Lion’s Den. The army said that its troops had used shoulder-launched missiles against the hideout.
The Palestinian Authority Health Ministry reported that a total of five Palestinians were killed in Nablus and over 20 were wounded, several of them seriously. The ministry named the fatalities in Nablus as Hamdi Ramzy, 30, Ali Antar, 26, Hamdi Sharaf, 35, Wadee al-Houh, 31, and Mishaal Baghdadi, 27.
Click to see full-size image. Via Twitter.
The Lion’s Den confirmed the members’ deaths and said al-Houh was a “leader.” In a statement, the group also vowed revenge following the raid.
Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid was quick to welcome the extensive operation in Nablus and praise the killing of the Lion’s Den leader.
“The terrorist Wadee al-Houh was killed in the exchange of fire,” Lapid told the Kan public broadcaster. “Israel will never be deterred from acting for its security. Part of this squad are people who hurt Ido Baruch, and the moment they hurt us, IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians, they should know it will end badly.
The Lion’s Den was established in August in Nablus’s old city by members of various Palestinian parties, including the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Since then, the group has claimed responsibility for the majority of shooting attacks in the area.
The Israeli operation in Nablus came just two days after the assassination of a senior member of the Lion’s Den. 33-year-old Tamer Kilani was killed when an explosive device attached to a motorcycle detonated in Nablus’s old city. Israel was blamed for the assassination.
The recent Israeli operations in Nablus didn’t provoked the Lion’s Den only, but also the Palestinian population in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem. Attacks on Israeli troops and settlers in the occupied will likely increase.
