Israel SitRep: March 3, 2025

Today’s Issue: | One Killed, Four Wounded in Terror Attack in Haifa; Perpetrator Was Druze With Dual Israeli-German Citizenship | Halevi in Leaked Remarks: Hamas ‘Defeated Militarily and Tactically’ but ‘Still Has Capabilities’ | Alma: $2.5 Million Recently Seized in Beirut Airport Likely Sent by IRGC Quds Force | IDF West Bank Counterterror Operation: 350 Arrested, 120 Weapons Seized in February | Latest FDD Analysis

One Killed, Four Wounded in Terror Attack in Haifa; Perpetrator Was Druze With Dual Israeli-German Citizenship: On Monday morning, a terrorist killed one and wounded four in a stabbing attack in Haifa. The attacker, who was shot and killed by a civilian and a security guard, has been identified by Hebrew media outlets as Yitro Shahin, 20, and police have confirmed that he was a Druze citizen of Israel from the northern city of Shfaram. The attack took place at about 9:50 a.m. at the Lev Hamifratz bus station. Police say that the man killed by the terrorist was in his 60s and was stabbed multiple times in the back. He was later identified as Karim Dahamsheh, 70, of Kafr Kanna, a town near Nazareth. A 15-year-old was critically wounded and underwent surgery and is in stable condition. The three other victims are in moderate condition. MK Hamed Amar of the Yisrael Beitenu party, a Druze from Shfaram, stated that the attack “certainly does not reflect the loyal spirit of the Druze community in Israel, which is a full partner in defending the state and its values.” Meanwhile, Shfaram’s mayor stated that the attacker was “a young man with serious mental illness” and that his case was being handled by the Welfare Department.

Halevi in Leaked Remarks: Hamas ‘Defeated Militarily and Tactically’ but ‘Still Has Capabilities’: On Sunday, Israel’s Channel 12 News aired leaked recordings of remarks by outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi to heads of regional councils in the south of Israel. Halevi, in a meeting Friday to present the IDF’s findings on the events of October 7, stated that Hamas’s military wing has been “defeated militarily and tactically” but that “Hamas still has capabilities,” adding that Israel must continue to strike Hamas and must maintain a security zone buffer with Gaza “at all times … by air, sea and land.” He told the council heads that there is “a plan to build [army] bases between the [southern] communities and the border fence.” Channel 12 also reported on Sunday that the Aman Military Intelligence Directorate has had no human intelligence sources in Gaza for 15 years and that the Shin Bet had no active sources there either. The findings of the IDF’s investigation into October 7, released Thursday, stated: “It is wrong to ‘manage’ a conflict with an enemy whose goal is your destruction,” adding that Hamas exploited “Israel’s policy of ‘conflict management’ to advance an orderly plan for a broad attack.”

Alma: $2.5 Million Recently Seized in Beirut Airport Likely Sent by IRGC Quds Force: On Monday, the Alma Research and Education Center wrote about the seizure by Lebanese customs authorities of $2.5 million from a passenger arriving in Beirut from Turkey on February 28. According to Alma, the money was likely intended for Hezbollah and sent through Turkey by Unit 190 of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force since the land route through Syria has been closed and Lebanon has banned flights from Iran. Alma states that Unit 190 has operated previously in Turkey. In 2007, a shipment of weapons containers with explosives and 122 mm mortar shells, sent by the IRGC-QF by train from Iran to Syria through Turkey and probably intended for Hezbollah, was seized. In addition, in 2022, Unit 190 head Behnam Shahariyari operated a money-laundering network in Turkey.

IDF West Bank Counterterror Operation: 350 Arrested, 120 Weapons Seized in February: The IDF on Sunday published statistics on its West Bank counterterrorism operations in February. During the month, security forces killed some 25 terrorists in the West Bank, including weapons dealers; terrorists who produced explosive devices, planted them, and set them off; and some who were planning terrorist attacks. The troops also arrested 350 wanted persons, seized some 120 weapons, and destroyed hundreds of explosive devices. The report includes footage of the counterterrorism operations. According to the IDF, “Israeli security forces will continue counterterrorism operations throughout Judea and Samaria to ensure the security of the residents and citizens of the State of Israel.”

Latest FDD Analysis:

Today at 8:30am (ET): “FDD Morning Brief,” featuring Jonathan Schanzer and Henri Barkey, FDD Event

“Crushing Iran’s oil trade: The path to maximum pressure,” Mark Dubowitz and Saeed Ghasseminejad, Washington Examiner

“Small thanks and a little grace can repair that disastrous Ukraine meeting,” Peter Doran, New York Post

“How Germany’s new leader can make history,” Ben Cohen, Jewish News Syndicate

“Syria’s National Dialogue Conference: A Missed Opportunity,” Ahmad Sharawi, FDD Policy Brief

“Israel strikes southern Syria amid continued demands for demilitarization,” Seth J. Frantzman, FDD’s Long War Journal

“Al Jazeera platforms Hamas’s “resistance” at annual conference,” Toby Dershowitz & Will Erens, FDD’s Long War Journal

“‘IDF Failed in its Mission to Protect Civilians’: Report Into IDF’s October 7 Failures Released,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Lebanese Prime Minister Demands IDF Withdraw From 5 Defensive Points,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“‘No Progress’: Hamas Rejects Israeli Proposal to Extend Phase One of Ceasefire,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Turning ‘Humanitarian Aid Into a Budget For Terrorism’: Israel Suspends Aid Flow to Gaza After Hamas Rejects Ceasefire Extension,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Israel SitRep: February 28, 2025,” FDD Experts, FDD Israel at War Situation Report