Undercover troops compromised during Nablus operation

Two Israeli soldiers with the Duvdevan special forces were arrested by Palestinian police in Nablus Saturday after their cover was compromised.

According to Army Radio, an altercation erupted at the scene and the soldiers and Palestinian policemen exchanged blows, but no one was seriously injured. The two soldiers were detained for questioning and after a few hours, following coordination with the Civil Administration, they were returned to Israel unharmed.

The incident took place at around 9 p.m. when Duvdevan troops, who specialize in undercover urban warfare, were operating in the Rafidia neighborhood of Nablus. During the operation, two soldiers were discovered by Palestinian police, who proceeded to arrest them.

The soldiers were taken to a nearby police station. After about an hour, during which Palestinian officials contacted the Civil Administration and the Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, the two were handed over to Israeli forces.

The soldiers underwent a medical examination, which confirmed they were unharmed.

"During an IDF operation in Nablus, undercover troops were detained by Palestinian security forces," the military said in a statement, adding that the soldiers, who were detained along with their gear, weapons and vehicle, were released with everything intact.

A defense official stressed that despite reports of a violent altercation when the troops' cover was compromised, both soldiers were unharmed, and they were not beaten by the Palestinian police.

A Palestinian defense official told Israel Hayom the Nablus policemen "stopped the car the Israelis were driving for an inspection, and they turned out to be soldiers. To ensure their safety they [the soldiers] were taken to the Rafidia police station, where they said they were not part of an ongoing operation, but rather that they entered the city for a thrill. We contacted the Civil Administration and handed them over to Israeli forces.

"If they were supposed to be undercover then they weren't very good, because the Palestinian police spotted them immediately," he said.

Word that two Israeli soldiers were being held in the Rafidia police station spread rapidly, and by the time Israeli troops arrived at the station, an angry mob had gathered outside and tried to prevent the extraction by stoning the Israeli troops.

The military launched an investigation into what has been described as a highly unusual incident.

As Duvdevan specializes in undercover urban warfare, its troops routinely operate across Judea and Samaria and sometimes inadvertently enter Area A, which is under full Palestinian civil and security control, in which case Palestinian security forces contact the Civil Administration to coordinate the troops' return. At times these incidents involve violent clashes.

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