The Israel Police and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) announced on Tuesday that a months-long investigation had uncovered a terror cell in the Jenin area of the northern West Bank that was preparing rocket attacks against Israel and Israeli security forces. Six residents of the Jenin area, all in their thirties, were arrested in recent months during the investigation, which was conducted jointly by the counterterrorism division of the Judea and Samaria District Police's Central Unit and the Shin Bet.

Source: i24News

What investigators say the cell built and tested

Investigators found that the suspects had manufactured a rocket body and explosive devices and conducted experiments with them, including three test rocket launches, the authorities said. The tests were intended to assess the rockets' power, range and flight stability and to refine their detonation mechanisms before attacks were carried out, according to the investigation's findings as reported by Israel Defense. One of the suspects admitted during questioning that he had been involved in establishing the network and its objectives, and said the test launches had shown successful results in terms of the rockets' power and range, according to reporting of the investigation.

Source: Israel Defense; United With Israel

During the arrests, security forces seized weapons connected to the cell, including an M16 assault rifle and an RPG launcher body, along with rocket casings and documents and instructional materials containing guidance, blueprints and chemical formulas for manufacturing explosives and rockets. The investigation further found, according to Israel Defense, that the cell operated under direct external guidance: the primary suspect maintained continuous communication with an external operative through an encrypted messaging app, receiving precise instructions, technical knowledge and detailed lists of the chemical substances needed to produce standard and improvised explosives.

Source: Israel Defense

Charges are coming, but nothing has been proven in court

A prosecutor's declaration was filed against all six suspects over the weekend, and the State Attorney's Office is expected to file severe security indictments against them in the coming days, the authorities said. The police and the Shin Bet said security agencies would maintain zero tolerance in thwarting such networks and prosecuting those involved in weapons manufacturing and trafficking. All of the operational details published on Tuesday — the rocket body, the test launches, the external handler — are the investigators' allegations, presented at the announcement of arrests; they have not been tested in court and the six men have not been convicted of anything.

Source: Bytes Europe (Jerusalem Post reporting); Israel Defense