IDF: Terrorist Crossed into Northern Israel Last Week Using a Ladder

March 22, 2023

by: Kate Norman

Wednesday, 22 March 2023 | The Hezbollah terrorist who planted a bomb in northern Israel last week crossed the border with Lebanon using a ladder, Israeli media reported yesterday, citing defense sources.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had announced that the military was aware of how the terrorist entered into Israel but would not elaborate further. The military still would not comment on the matter but gave the green light yesterday for the details to be published, the Times of Israel reported.

The terrorist most likely crossed the border between Saturday, March 11 and Sunday, March 12, the IDF announced, armed with a bomb. He planted it along Route 65 in northern Israel, near the Megiddo Junction, where it exploded and wounded 21-year-old Shareef ad-Din from the Salem Arab village near Haifa.

According to the Israeli military, the terrorist then hitched a ride to Ya’ara, near the Lebanese border, where he was spotted by Israeli security forces, who said he posed a “clear danger,” as he was wearing an explosives belt. The security forces opened fire on the terrorist and killed him.

The security officials searched the vehicle and discovered multiple weapons, the IDF said, which they believed were intended for another attack.

They arrested the driver of the vehicle for questioning, but released him a few days later, as they determined that he was not involved in the attack.

The bomb itself was suspicious, as it was structurally different from bombs usually used by Palestinian terrorists, leading the officials to believe the Lebanon-based, Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group was behind the attack.

The incident sparked fears that the terrorist had infiltrated the Jewish state using a tunnel, though the Israeli military said it had exposed and destroyed all terror tunnels from Lebanon to Israel in Operation Northern Shield of December 2018 to January 2019. A year later, the IDF installed sensors along the border to detect any more cross-border tunnels under construction.

Even though the IDF this week did not specify the Megiddo terrorist’s means of entering Israel, the military did clarify that his entry did not involve a tunnel, dispelling fears of any more terror tunnels intended for Hezbollah terrorists to infiltrate the Jewish state and execute terror attacks.

Posted on March 22, 2023

Source: (Bridges for Peace, March 22, 2023)

Photo Credit: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit/commons.wikimedia.org

Photo License: wikimedia