Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Friday held a situational assessment in the western Samaria city of Tulkarem, where he urged troops to remain vigilant in the fight against Palestinian terrorism.
"We are operating across all arenas with responsibility and constant vigilance — we do not have the privilege to ease up. There is no arena in which you have not operated in the past two years. The mission in Judea and Samaria is clear: to thwart terrorism and defend the communities," said Zamir.
"As in every arena, we do not wait—we eliminate threats before they grow. Terrorism strikes precisely where one is unprepared, and therefore we tailor the exact operational response to each arena," he added.
Zamir was joined by the commander of the IDF Central Command, Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth; the head of the Operations Directorate, Maj. Gen. Itzik Cohen; and the leader of the Judea and Samaria Division, Brig. Gen. Yaki Dolf.
The chief of staff met with troops from the Paratroopers Brigade in the area, expressed his appreciation for their efforts, and stressed that their contribution is vital to protecting the security of local residents.
"The activities are thorough and significant — you are uprooting the roots of terrorism and ensuring they cannot grow back. Today, there is no place in Judea and Samaria that cannot be reached; to be anywhere, at the right time, to prevent attacks and to continue enabling operational freedom of action," said Zamir.
"We are focusing on locating the terrorists in the Binyamin region following yesterday’s attack," he continued, referring to Thursday’s terrorist shooting near Adei Ad, which lightly wounded an Israeli civilian.
"We will continue to operate in the region with the goal of thwarting terrorism in every form and employing all operational and intelligence means until the terrorists are captured," said Zamir.
Later on Friday, IDF soldiers, working with the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), apprehended the terrorist responsible for the attack in Binyamin. The suspect, in his 30s and from the Al Mughayyir area, provided information during questioning linking him to the shooting.
Authorities also recovered a gun believed to have been used in the incident.
"The IDF, Shin Bet and all security forces will continue to operate to thwart terrorism in Judea and Samaria and to enforce the law against any terrorist who attempts to harm civilians and soldiers," said the military.
This JNS.org report was republished with permission from Jewish News Syndicate.