Just past midnight on 25 October, a large contingent of Israeli troops descended upon the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank as part of a renewed assault against local resistance factions, leaving six dead and injuring dozens more.

In a statement, the Israeli army announced that the overnight operation targeted the Lion’s Den resistance faction, and alleged success in neutralizing “high value targets and weapon workshops.”

The Israeli troops allegedly killed one of the leaders of the Lions’ Den, Wadih al-Houh, a longtime ally and companion of Ibrahim al-Nabulsi, a local leader killed earlier this year.

Additionally, the army destroyed a workshop repurposed for manufacturing homemade explosive devices, used in numerous attacks against Israeli checkpoints and personnel.

عاجل| مصادر محلية: "اشتباك مسلح مع قوات الاحتلال قرب حاجز سالم غرب مدينة جنين". pic.twitter.com/yaI7ag5HKq

— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) October 25, 2022

Four other members of the newly-established faction were killed in different areas around the city, as Israeli special forces hunted down a group of influential fighters deemed as an “immediate threat.”

They have been identified as Hamdi Sharaf, Ali Antar, Hamdi Qayyim, and Mishaal Baghdadi. Twenty other fighters and citizens were injured, including a few in critical condition.

#شاهد| هتافات الشبان المحتشدين أمام مستشفى رفيديا في نابلس. pic.twitter.com/DH2IR7jDOu

— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) October 25, 2022

The army’s statement emphasized that the forces operated on the ground, intending to refute all reports that a vehicle was targeted from the air. At least one car was destroyed, seemingly by an anti-tank rocket system.

“A joint force of Yamam, Shin Bet agents, and Israeli soldiers, raided a hideaway in Nablus’s old city that was being used as a bomb workshop by central members of the Lion’s Den,” reads the statement, signaling a large joint operation between the branches of the Israeli security establishment.

Hours later, Qusai al-Tamimi was killed by Israeli troops in Nabi Saleh, near Ramallah, apparently during riots to confront the Israeli aggression on the city.

The operation took place just 5 days away from the Israeli elections, where interim Minister, Yair Lapid, and Israeli Minister of Defense, Benny Gantz, are exerting all effort to win a 61-seat majority in the Knesset.

In light of the elections, Lapid took the chance to boast about the operation during his interview with Kan radio on Tuesday morning.

“Israel will never be deterred from acting for its security. The moment they hurt us, they should know it will end badly,” added Lapid.

Similarly, Gantz issued a statement on Twitter echoing the words of Lapid and reiterating that “we will continue to act against anyone who tries to harm the citizens of Israel, wherever and whenever necessary.”

אין ולא יהיו ערי מקלט לטרוריסטים. נמשיך לפעול מול כל מי שינסה לפגוע באזרחי ישראל בכל מקום ובכל זמן שיידרש. pic.twitter.com/TJNZk7bj2D

— בני גנץ – Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) October 25, 2022

On the other hand, the Palestinian Authority (PA) condemned the attack, calling it a “war crime and the Israeli government bears full responsibility for its consequences.”

Local Palestinian journalists reported that PA security forces were taken aback by the attack, and inadvertently exchanged fire with a squad from the Israeli army.

Earlier on 22 October, Israel initiated its campaign to neutralize the threat posed by the Loin’s Den, by murdering Tamer al-Kilani using an IED attached to his motorcycle.