Bennett on overnight raid: Security forces ‘thwarted a ticking time bomb’

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett holds a meeting with top officials at the Shin Bet security service following several deadly terror attacks in Israel over the past few weeks.

“We are in the midst of a joint effort of all the security forces to stop the wave of recent attacks and restore security to Israeli citizens,” he says in a video statement alongside Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and his military secretary Avi Gil.

Referring to the overnight raid in which three Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives were killed, Bennett says security forces “thwarted a ticking time bomb.” He predicts there will be “many more” attempted attacks.

“We are working right now to prevent them,” he says. “Our people act with great bravery, around the clock, in a hostile and violent environment, and I want to send a speedy recovery to the wounded in the operation.”

The premier says he spoke with the elite officer seriously hurt in the operation. He also notes the increased deployments of security forces, saying the goal is to allow citizens to go about their normal lives.

“Terror is not new. Once it’s Hamas, once it’s Islamic Jihad, this time there is some involvement of Daesh,” he says, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. Two of the recent attacks involved Arab Israelis with IS links. “We will get through this difficult period,” he says.