IDF soldiers operating on the Benyamin area on Monday night were successful in thwarting an apparent attempt by an Arab terrorist to ram soldiers with his car.
The IDF stated the soldiers operating in the Arab village of Bir Naballah set up a checkpoint on a road to allow additional forces to operate in the area without vehicular traffic.
The troops at the checkpoint identified a vehicle stopping at the checkpoint and then suddenly accelerating towards another group of soldiers, in a way that endangered the lives of the fighters, the IDF said.
The soldiers responded by firing at the car to thwart the threat.
The Palestinian Authority official WAFA agency reported that the driver was killed, and his wife, who was with him in the car, was injured in the back and is in stable condition.
Local sources identified the terrorist as Usama Sidqi Mansour, 42-year-old father of five. There were no Israeli casualties.
Several bottles of alcohol were subsequently discovered in the driver’s vehicle following the incident, which occurred at around 3:30 pm, raising the question about the status of the driver at the time of the incident.