IOF soldiers at the scene of the "Ariel" operation in the occupied West Bank, Palestine, November 15, 2022

It is unbelievable that a knife attack took place over the course of 20 minutes in three locations in a high-security area, an Israeli security source said Tuesday in the aftermath of a stabbing and vehicle ramming operation in "Ariel", the occupied West Bank.

Talking to Israeli Channel 12, the security source said it had to do with a high-security area, and despite that, it was very difficult to specify a single attacker in a timely manner.

"The main parties that incited the attack are Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad," the source said, expressing concerns about Palestinians carrying out new operations out of inspiration from the "Ariel" operation.

Furthermore, the source highlighted that officials in the Israeli security establishment were considering changing the policy of separating Gaza from what is happening in the occupied West Bank.

The person behind the operation is Mohammad Sami Souf, and he is 19 years old, Al Maydeen's correspondent in the occupied West Bank said.

الشهيد محمد مراد صوف (18 عاما) منفذ عملية سلفيت المزدوجة والتي أسفرت عن مقتل 3 مستوطنين وإصابة 3 بجراح خطيرة. https://t.co/wAcxXfWE5F pic.twitter.com/Ny9Dj2KELI
— khaldoun bedir (@KhaldounBedir) November 15, 2022

The operation lasted for more than 20 minutes as confusion and panic ensued among the Israeli occupation forces.

In the aftermath of the operation, the IOF imposed a lockdown on the town of Hares, the birthplace of Souf, amid heavy deployment of Israeli snipers and as Israeli UAVs were buzzing overhead.

Al Mayadeen's correspondent said the Israeli occupation forces have been for hours interrogating Souf's family inside their home, adding that the IOF had assaulted the family before imposing a lockdown on Salfit.

Israeli Cabinet member Yehiel Tropper claimed that the response to the operation was "not serious enough", noting that it was very complicated to confront someone going solo.

The man behind the operation stabbed an illegal Israeli settler at the entrance of the industrial city of the "Ariel" settlement and then stabbed three others at a gas station near the settlement, Israeli media reported.

Additionally, according to Israeli media, Souf took a car from a settler and went into oncoming traffic, which led to a crash with several other vehicles.

"The stabbing took place at a time when the level of alert among the [IOF] was at its peak," Israeli media reported. The operation is "complex, as it took place in two different areas without prior notice."