Shin Bet Director David Zini said Friday that while the agency had thwarted dozens of attacks in recent months, it failed to stop the morning's deadly attack in Samaria. Speaking after a situational assessment at the scene, Zini ordered increased intelligence gathering and offensive operations, and urged the public not to take the law into their own hands.
Shin Bet Director David Zini revealed on Friday that the agency had thwarted dozens of attacks in recent months — 'almost every night' — but failed to prevent the morning's deadly attack in Samaria. The disclosure came in a further statement issued around 15:35 Jerusalem, expanding on his earlier remarks at the scene, where he had ordered intensified counter-terror operations and urged the public not to take the law into their own hands.
The Zioneer first reported at 15:19 Jerusalem that Zini was at the scene, citing Army Radio. Within minutes, additional reports from N12 and ynet quoted him describing the attack as 'serious and painful' and exacting a 'heavy price in blood.' By 15:19, the Shin Bet had released its own official statement confirming the assessment and the operational directives, with successive updates refining the details. The earlier reports did not include the revelation of the thwarted attacks, which the Shin Bet chief disclosed only in the later statement.
The disclosure comes amid heightened security concerns in Judea and Samaria. As The Zioneer reported on June 27, the Judea and Samaria District Commander had warned of a potential 'October 7-style scenario' in the West Bank. On June 21, senior official Hillel Bitton Rosen warned that the West Bank is the next front and called for a decisive offensive. The Shin Bet and IDF have been conducting near-nightly counter-terror raids in the area.
The number of casualties in the attack and the identity of the attacker have not been officially confirmed. The Shin Bet said the investigation is ongoing. It is also unclear whether the thwarted attacks Zini referred to were linked to the same cell or network.
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