The victim of an assassination on Highway 65 earlier today has been identified as Imad Aghbariya, Israeli media report. Less than a month ago, in late May, his son Ahmad Aghbariya was also killed in a shooting. The circumstances and motive remain under investigation.
A fatal shooting on Highway 65 earlier today has been identified as a targeted killing, with the victim named as Imad Aghbariya, according to Israeli media. The incident comes less than a month after Aghbariya's son, Ahmad Aghbariya, was killed in a separate shooting in late May. No group has claimed responsibility, and police have not yet released details on a suspect or motive. The case is being investigated as a criminal assassination, amid ongoing violence in Arab Israeli communities.
The first reports of the incident emerged at 17:16 Jerusalem time, when The Zioneer reported a vehicle explosion on Route 65 near Mushayrifa, initially described as wounding a couple—a 51-year-old man seriously and his wife lightly—with police suspecting a criminal motive. By 17:16, the man in his 50s had died of his wounds. The most recent update, at 18:55 Jerusalem time, confirms the deceased is Imad Aghbariya, whose son Ahmad was murdered in a separate shooting in late May. Source quality evolved from initial emergency service reports (MDA) to police confirmation of a criminal motive and later to identification by Israeli media.
As The Zioneer reported on May 27, 2025, Ahmad Aghbariya was killed in a shooting in the town of Kafr Qara; police at the time said they were investigating. The killing of Imad Aghbariya follows a pattern of violent incidents in Arab Israeli communities, which have seen a rise in criminal violence and, at times, alleged assassination attempts. No further details on the link between the two killings have been released.
The motive behind the assassination remains unclear; no suspect has been named and no group has claimed responsibility. Police have not stated whether the killing is connected to the earlier death of Aghbariya's son.
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