A Palestinian man was shot dead after attacking an Israeli soldier with a hammer near the central West Bank village of Bitin, the IDF said on Wednesday night.
The troops were conducting a routine operation in the area when the suspect lunged at the soldier, the army added. The soldier opened fire and neutralized the Palestinian man.
Troops also found a knife on the suspect’s body afterward, the IDF said.
The targeted soldier suffered only minor injuries to his head and didn’t require hospitalization after receiving treatment at the scene, according to the army.
The identity of the slain Palestinian suspect was not immediately released.
Earlier in the day, the IDF confirmed a Kan public broadcaster report that it is readying units in the West Bank to potentially make use of armed drones during counterterrorism raids.
During a routine proactive activity of the IDF force a short time ago, near the village of Beitin in the area of the Binyamin regional division, a suspect attacked an IDF soldier with a hammer. The soldier responded by shooting at the suspect and neutralized him. In addition, a knife was found on the suspect.
The soldier was wounded in the face and received medical treatment on the spot pic.twitter.com/LOXxZ6GLRk— Israel Defense Forces (@idfonline) September 7, 2022
There have been no reports of armed drones being used to strike targets in the West Bank. In the past, Israel has used attack helicopters in the West Bank, but only in special circumstances and not as a matter of routine.
IDF troops have repeatedly come under gunfire during nightly raids in the West Bank, during a months-long effort against Palestinian terrorists.
The military launched the operation, dubbed Breakwater, after a series of deadly attacks that killed 19 people between mid-March and the beginning of May. More than 1,500 suspects have been detained since the start of the operation.
Until recently, talk of Israel’s armed drones was barred from publication by the Military Censor. For years the IDF would not confirm it uses armed drones, and Israeli journalists who attempted to report on it came up against the IDF censor.
The IDF said that drones make up about 80% of the total operational flight hours in the Air Force. Israel has not disclosed how many attack drones it has.