An unusually large force of Israeli army personnel and border police raided the large Arab mountain village of Yatta just south of here over the weekend, conducting a house-to-house search for arms and suspected terrorists, demolishing two houses belonging to alleged terrorists, arresting 21 suspects, and imposing a 36-hour curfew.
The raid, unprecedented in its scope, was conducted under a new IDF anti-terror policy utilizing unconventional methods and means in the fight against terrorism, military sources said. One of its purposes, the sources stated, was to deter potential terrorists by putting entire villages under curfew and conducting thorough searches for terrorists and weapons.
During the Yatta raid, the security forces combed 100 houses in the village. They uncovered nine rifles, a large quantity of ammunition, and several kilograms of explosives. The owners of the two houses demolished by the security forces during the raid are suspected of having shot at Israeli vehicles in the area.
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