The Israeli army announced on Wednesday March 15 that it had killed a suspect wearing an explosive belt in northern Israel on Monday. Suspected of infiltrating Israel from Lebanon, he was shot dead by Israeli forces who say they are examining “the possibility that the terrorist organization Hezbollah is involved”.
The suspect was arrested by car at one of the crossing points established in northern Israel after an explosive device had been detonated in the area, at the junction of Megiddo (about 35 kilometers southeast of Haifa). The Israeli army suspects this man of being also responsible for this detonation, which seriously injured an Israeli civilian.
“He could have used the explosive belt in the first attack, but decided against it”the army said during a press briefing. “We assume he was going to carry out another terrorist attack but we don’t know how. (…). Maybe he wanted to carry out another terrorist attack and then kill himself. »
“Many questions are unanswered”
According to the army, the man suspected of having wanted to commit a suicide attack had asked a driver to take him in his car, to bring him back to the north of the territory, before being arrested at the point of passage. The driver, whose identity has not been released, is being questioned, the army said, saying that “many questions are unanswered”.
“I commend the security forces for having neutralized the terrorist involved in the bombing at the Megiddo junction”, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant wrote on Twitter. The situation is being assessed with the government, which will decide on the response, the military said.
The announcement comes as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu prepares to leave for Germany on an official visit, which has been cut short by a day. His office said in a statement that it “closely followed (…) security developments ».
In 2006, the last major confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah, a powerful Lebanese armed movement, left more than 1,200 dead on the Lebanese side, mostly civilians, and 160 on the Israeli side, mostly soldiers. The latest anti-Israeli suicide bombing injured 21 in Jerusalem on April 19, 2016.