IDF Warr. Ofc. (Res.) Ofer Yung, 39, and Warr. Ofc. (Res.) Avraham Tzvi Tzvika Friedman, 43, were killed, and several were wounded in a Palestinian terror attack at an outpost near the village of Tayasir, north of the Jordan Valley.
By Rachel Avraham
IDF Warr. Ofc. (Res.) Ofer Yung, 39, and Warr. Ofc. (Res.) Avraham Tzvi Tzvika Friedman, 43, were killed, and several were wounded in a Palestinian terror attack at an outpost near the village of Tayasir, north of the Jordan Valley, the Jerusalem Post reported. During the incident, two reservists in the 8211th Battalion of the Efraim Regional Brigade were severely injured, and a further six reservists were slightly injured, Arutz Sheva reported.
According to the report, the terrorist who was wearing a bulletproof vest and armed with an M-16 assault rifle, ambushed two soldiers who left the military installation. The terrorist is thought to have entered the area at night and waited until the early morning for the soldiers to leave. He fired at the two soldiers, wounding them.
The terrorist managed to infiltrate the military compound, an installation with a guard tower, where the soldiers were operating, Arutz Sheva noted. Once in the compound, he opened fire and a gunbattle ensued between him and the forces. The soldiers, though caught by surprise, started to return fire both from within the outpost as well as from the outpost watch tower, the Jerusalem Post noted.
According to the report, the terrorist started to retreat in order to try to flee. However, the acting battalion commander arrived on the scene with additional forces and started to engage the terrorist from a new vector. At a certain point, a soldier threw a grenade at the terrorist, wounding him and causing him to stop firing. Later, the soldiers followed up with the terrorist and shot him to death from closer up. During the gunfight, the IDF had a drone nearby, providing some intelligence, but were unable to use it to fire at the terrorist since he already infiltrated inside the compound and there was a fire that such an attack could risk the soldiers’ lives.
The Tayasir checkpoint is located between the northern West Bank hills and the Jordan Valley, close to the villages of Tamun and al-Far’a. Each day, hundreds of Palestinians pass through it on their way to work within Israeli territory during the morning hours, when the incident occurred, I24 News noted. The IDF stated: “A terrorist fired at soldiers at a military post in the area of Tayasir. The soldiers eliminated the terrorist during exchanges of fire.”
MDA Paramedic Denis Polkov reported: “We arrived at the scene with MDA ambulances and Mobile Intensive Care Units. Together with IDF medical teams, we provided medical treatment to six victims who were airlifted by IDF helicopters. We then evacuated them from the landing pads to the hospitals’ trauma rooms.”
The Yesha Council responded to the attack: “In this difficult time, we seek to strengthen the IDF soldiers and their commanders. The determined fighting of our heroic warriors pushes the evil terrorists away from the homes of Israeli citizens and prevents scenes similar to those of October 7th from occurring in places like Afula and Netanya, G-d forbid. This morning’s attack once again proves that Arab terrorism seeks to harm the State of Israel and IDF soldiers. The Israeli government has a duty to decisively defeat Arab terrorism and to announce the application of Israeli sovereignty, which will prevent the establishment of a terror state in the heart of the country.”
According to the Jerusalem Post, the IDF reported over 100 arrests of wanted individuals and the elimination of approximately 50 terrorists. Additionally, dozens of weapons and explosive devices were confiscated, and 23 structures used for terrorist activities were demolished in Jenin. Security officials stated that “the operation will continue as long as necessary,” as directed by the security cabinet. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described it as “a large-scale and significant military operation to eliminate terrorism in Jenin,” adding that it was “another step in achieving our goal—strengthening security in Judea and Samaria.”
