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Lions' Den (militant group)

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Lions' Den
FoundersMohammed al-Azizi
Abdel Rahman Suboh
FoundationJuly 2022
HeadquartersNablus, Palestine[1]
Size~100 (according to Palestinian security sources)[2]
AlliesUnknown[2]
Opponents

The Lions' Den (Arabic: عرين الأسود, romanized: ʿArīn al-ʾUsud) is a Palestinian militant group operating in the West Bank. The group emerged in August 2022, a year of increased in shooting and stabbing attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers, and takes is moniker from Ibrahim al-Nabulsi, a prominent militant from Nablus, nicknamed The Lion of Nablus, killed in July during an Israeli raid.[3][4] It comprises members of other Palestinian militant organizations,[5] traditionally opposed by Fatah, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and disaffected or younger members of Fatah.[6] It is reportedly based in the Old City of Nablus.[7]

The organization was founded by a 25-year-old Palestinian named Mohammed al-Azizi, more commonly known as "Abu Saleh", and his friend Abdel Rahman Suboh, or "Abu Adam", 28 years old. They were both killed in fighting in July 2022.[8][9] The group has experienced a rise in popularity among Palestinians in the West Bank, regularly sharing videos of their attacks on TikTok and Telegram. Their TikTok account was suspended in October 2022,[10] leading the group to publish the rest of their videos to their Telegram account, which holds 238,000 subscribers as of 24 February 2023.[7]

Background

2022 was the deadliest year in the West Bank for Palestinians since 2015, mostly focused on Nablus and Jenin. There has been a notable rise in violence by extremist Jewish settlers. Following the killing of an Israeli soldier on 11 October 2022, for which the Lions' Den claimed responsibility, Nablus is under a tight siege which Palestinians protest as collective punishment.[11][12]

The headquarters, in the Old City of Nablus, of the Lions' Den (militant group)

Timeline

Fall 2022

  • August – The first mention of the group was made by Palestinian media on 15 August. The group claimed responsibility for an attack on IDF soldiers in Rujeib, West Bank.[13]
  • 2 September – The group held its first rally in Nablus, honouring two Palestinian Islamic Jihad members who had been killed in July.[13]
  • 9 September – Israeli police said that they had foiled a plan by the group to carry out a large-scale attack in southern Tel Aviv, and arrested a suspect trying to enter the city carrying two pipe bombs and a submachine gun.[14][13]
  • 19 September – An Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades commander, Musaba Shtayyeh, was arrested by Palestinian Authority servicemen in Nablus resulting in clashes between hundreds of militants and security forces, resulting in one civilian being shot and killed by the PA force.[15] Palestinian security forces said that they had discovered Shtayyeh was also a member of the Lions' Den.[16]
  • 22 September – Bullets are fired at the Israeli settlement of Har Bracha and a nearby military post. The IDF said they found 60 shell casings nearby. The Lions' Den claimed responsibility.[17]
  • 25 September – A Lions' Den member was killed in an IDF ambush.[18]
  • 2 October – A taxi and bus were shot at by militants near Elon Moreh in the West Bank, injuring the taxi driver. A demonstration by local Israeli settlers to protest the incident was attacked with gunfire, wounding a soldier. The Lions' Den claimed responsibility for the incidents.[19][20]
  • Bullets are fired at Israeli troops near Itamar and Beita, but nobody was harmed.[21]
  • 5 October – An IDF raid to find the suspects of the 2 October attacks arrested a member of the group and resulted in one militant being killed.[22]
  • 11 October – Israeli settlers held a demonstration in Jerusalem to protest the recent attacks. A 21-year-old Israeli soldier who had been assigned to defend the group was shot and killed. The Lions' Den claimed responsibility.[11]
  • 16 October – flag photo.[23]
  • According to the Jerusalem Post, Hebrew media reported that Prime Minister Yair Lapid, alternate prime minister Naftali Bennett and Defense Minister Benny Gantz along with the heads of Israel's Mossad and Shin Bet, met to discuss the group and the recent escalations in the West Bank.[24]
  • 18 October – Suhaib Shtayyeh, Musaba Shtayyeh's younger brother, was identified as a member of the group and arrested by the IDF.[7]
  • 23 October – Tamer al-Kilani, a founding member of the Lions' Den, was killed by a bomb planted on a motorcycle in Nablus, in the occupied West Bank.[25]
  • 25 October – Israeli soldiers raided an apartment in Nablus used by the group as an headquarter. Three Lions' Den militants were killed, including leader and co-founder Wadee al-Houh. Two Palestinian civilians were also killed in the nearby areas. Protests erupted in the town of Nabi Saleh hours after the raid, resulting in a Palestinian man being killed by Israeli soldiers.[26]

2023

  • 22 February – Israeli soldiers conducted a military incursion into the Palestinian city of Nablus.[27] The initial targets were Lions' Den members Husam Bassam Isleem (24) and Muhammad Omar “Juneidi” Abu Bakr (23), who were shot and killed. Five other group members were also killed during firefight in the city. Four Palestinian civilians, including three elderly men and a boy, were also killed by the Israeli soldiers.[28]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Who are the Lions' Den armed group in the occupied West Bank?". www.aljazeera.com.
  2. ^ a b "New Palestinian militia Lions' Den, behind attacks on soldiers, settlers". The Jerusalem Post.
  3. ^ "Four Palestinians killed in Israeli raid in West Bank". Le Monde. October 25, 2022.
  4. ^ "Lions' Den – Mapping Palestinian Politics – European Council on Foreign Relations". October 10, 2022.
  5. ^ "2022 Already the Deadliest Year for West Bank Palestinians in 7 Years". A newly established group in Nablus called the Lions' Den, for example, consists of hundreds of young people from different Palestinian groups who take part in shootings on IDF forces.
  6. ^ Kingsley, Patrick; Yazbek, Hiba (2023-03-04). "In West Bank, New Armed Groups Emerge, and Dormant Ones Stir". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  7. ^ a b c Fabian, Emanuel. "Armed upstart Lion's Den challenges IDF bid to crack down on Nablus terror". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  8. ^ "New Palestinian militia Lions' Den, behind attacks on soldiers, settlers". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  9. ^ "Fatah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad join forces to fight against IDF". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  10. ^ Fabian, Emanuel. "TikTok bans account of Palestinian armed group behind West Bank shootings". Times of Israel. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  11. ^ a b Fabian, Emanuel. "Soldier killed in shooting attack while securing settler march in northern West Bank". Times of Israel. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  12. ^ Nierenberg, Amelia (October 25, 2022). "Your Wednesday Briefing: Tensions Rise in the West Bank". The New York Times.
  13. ^ a b c "A Newly Established Militant Organization in the West Bank Claims Several Attacks". www.longwarjournal.org. 2022-09-16. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  14. ^ "Palestinian planned mass bombing, shooting attack in Tel Aviv". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  15. ^ "Palestinian factions in Nablus battle one with gunfights, tear gas". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  16. ^ "New Palestinian militia Lions' Den, behind attacks on soldiers, settlers". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  17. ^ Fabian, Emanuel. "Shots fired at West Bank settlement, IDF post near Nablus; no injuries". Times of Israel. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  18. ^ "IDF troops ambush terrorists near Nablus, killing one". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  19. ^ Fabian, Emanuel; staff, T. O. I. "Gunmen target taxi, bus in West Bank terror attack; 1 lightly injured". Times of Israel. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  20. ^ Fabian, Emanuel. "Soldier lightly wounded in West Bank shooting; IDF: Civilians also targeted". Times of Israel. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  21. ^ staff, T. O. I. "IDF says shots fired at troops in northern West Bank; no injuries". Times of Israel. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  22. ^ staff, T. O. I.; Fabian, Emanuel. "Suspect in West Bank shooting attack arrested, Palestinian gunman killed in clashes". Times of Israel. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  23. ^ Fabian, Emanuel. "Israel revokes entry permits from over 150 relatives of Nablus 'terror elements'". Times of Israel.
  24. ^ "Israel's security establishment heads hold meeting about Lions' Den". The Jerusalem Post. 16 October 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  25. ^ "Israel accused of killing Palestinian fighter in West Bank". Al Jazeera. 23 October 2022.
  26. ^ "Six killed as Israel targets militants in West Bank raid". BBC News. 25 October 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  27. ^ "Israeli forces kill 10 Palestinians in Nablus raid". Al Jazeera. 22 March 2023. Archived from the original on 22 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  28. ^ Barghouti, Mariam (24 February 2023). "Nablus mourns following Israeli invasion that tore city and lives apart". Mondoweiss. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
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