Israeli security forces on Tuesday defused an explosive device planted outside the Jewish community of Shiloh in Samaria, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed to JNS.

IDF soldiers and Israel Police officers were called to the scene at around 4:30 a.m. after a resident discovered a suspicious object on the outskirts of Esh Kodesh, a small village in the Shiloh area, a military spokesperson said.

The bomb, which according to local media reports was attached to a Palestine Liberation Organization flag, was dismantled by the forces, the spokesman added.

In 2024, an IDF reservist was lightly wounded by an improvised explosive device attached to a PLO flag outside Kochav HaShahar, located some four miles east of Esh Kodesh in the Binyamin region.

Muhamad Ataollah Abu Alia, 22, from the nearby Arab town of Al-Mughayyir, admitted following his arrest that he had carried out the April 21, 2024, attack on the side of Route 458.

Israeli security forces conducted a large-scale counter-terrorism operation in several Samaria villages on Monday, detaining suspects and confiscating weapons, the IDF said on Tuesday.

The IDF said its soldiers, together with the Israel Border Police and acting on Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) intelligence, operated in the areas of al-Ram, Kafr Aqab and Qalandiya. During the raids, forces searched about 100 buildings and questioned more than 40 individuals, it added.

Six suspects were arrested on suspicion of involvement in terrorism, incitement and weapons possession, according to the statement.

Forces also seized a dozen of arms, including pistols, improvised submachine guns, a hunting rifle and automatic rifles, as well as ammunition, pipe bombs, weapon parts and other combat equipment.

“The security forces, in both regular and reserve service, will continue to counter terrorism throughout Judea and Samaria,” the statement concluded.

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