DF chief Aviv Kohavi meeting with senior commanders at the scene of a deadly terror attack near the northern West Bank settlement of Ariel. Source: the Israeli Defense Forces.
On November 15, three Israelis were killed and three others were wounded in a stabbing and ramming attack in the settlement of Ariel in the occupied West Bank.
The attack was carried out by a Palestinian man who stabbed an Israeli security guard near the entrance to the Ariel Industrial Park, and went on to stab three other people at a nearby gas station.
The attacker fled in an apparently stolen vehicle. He crashed the vehicle into other cars on the Route 5 highway, before leaving it and stabbing another person. Shortly after, the attacker stole another vehicle. He crashed the second vehicle into more cars. Once he left the vehicle he was shot dead by Israeli troops and armed civilians.
The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the attacker as 18-year-old Muhammed Souf, from the nearby town of Hares. Souf worked in Ariel under a valid permit. He did not have any prior security offenses.
Muhammed Souf, via Twitter.
Following the attack, Israeli troops stormed Hares, where they searched for a suspect who allegedly aided Souf and mapped out the man’s house for potential demolition.
Click to see full-size image. Source: the Israeli Defense Forces..
Click to see full-size image. Source: the Israeli Defense Forces..
Click to see full-size image. Source: the Israeli Defense Forces..
Click to see full-size image. Source: the Israeli Defense Forces..
The three Israelis killed in the attack were identified by Israeli media as Michael Ladygin, 36, a resident of the central coastal city of Bat Yam, Motti Ashkenazi, 59, a resident of the central city of Yavne, and 50-year-old Tamir Avihai, a resident of the settlement of Kiryat Netafim.
From left to right: Ariel on November 15, 2022., Tamir Avihai, Michael Ladygin and Motti Ashkenazi. Source: The Times of Israeli.
Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi, Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), visited the scene of the deadly attack along with several senior military commanders. While touring the scene, the commander criticized the performance of security forces.
“We will investigate and draw lessons,” Kohavi was quoted as saying in an IDF statement.
The attack came amid rising violence in the West Bank. Israel’s neverending security operations in the occupied region continue to provoke Palestinians, who attacked Israeli troops and settlers in on countless occasions in the last few months.
The security situation in the West Bank will not likely improve any time soon as Israel does not appear to be willing to ease security measures targeting Palestinians in the region.
