Over the past weeks, the name of the "Lion's Lair" resistance group in the city of Nablus in the West Bank has made headlines in the Arab and international media, after its attacks have haunted the Israeli decision-making circles, security and political.

The Israel Today newspaper went on to confirm the fact that cannot be ignored, which is that Israel is facing a wave of attacks, and its end does not seem to be in sight.

The Aswad Al-Aswad group appeared in 2022 in the old city of Nablus, and it consisted of gunmen belonging to several Palestinian factions, and it brought together the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), Saraya Al-Quds, the military arm of the Islamic Jihad movement, and Al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas), the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and includes former members of the Palestinian security services, but they refuse to attribute themselves to a particular faction.

The signs of this group's operations began in February 2022, when the occupation security service noticed a significant increase in shootings at Israeli military targets in the vicinity of Nablus.

Israel attributed this rise to a small armed group formed in the city, similar to the "Jenin Brigade" and calling itself the "Nablus Brigade".

The Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported that, based on intelligence information, the Israeli Internal Security Service (Shin Bet) decided to act against them at that time.

She added that in February 2022, the "Shin Bet" indicated the intention of 4 members of the armed battalion to target Israeli soldiers, and it was decided to target them.

The Israeli Al-Yamam Division entered the city of Nablus at noon on Tuesday, February 8, and was traveling in a public vehicle and another private vehicle - both vehicles bearing Palestinian registration plates - and intercepted a vehicle in the Al-Makhfieh neighborhood with 3 Palestinian youths inside and shot them directly, which led to their martyrdom. immediately.

Israel assassinated the three martyrs of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades by targeting their car in the city of Nablus (Getty)

At that time, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades (the military wing of the Fatah movement) mourned what it said were 3 of its martyrs, namely: Adham Mabrouka, Muhammad al-Dakhil, and Ashraf Mabslat.

After the assassination carried out by the Israeli special force in Nablus.

Ha'aretz reported that the three martyrs were known to the Israeli security services as members of the "Nablus Brigade", but the fourth was not among them, Ibrahim al-Nabulsi, who heads it.

"Don't leave the gunpowder"

On the morning of Sunday, July 24, the Israeli army announced the assassination of the resistance fighters Abboud Sobh, 29, and Muhammad al-Azizi, 22, during an armed clash that took place in the Old City of Nablus.

Al-Nabulsi appeared at the funeral of the two martyrs crying and carrying a rifle, and said that he is on the path of those who preceded him, and that "the rifle will not fall in surrender to the occupation."

On the morning of Tuesday 9 August, Nabulsi, nicknamed "Abu Fathi", was assassinated, along with two of his companions, Islam Sabbouh and the boy Hussein Jamal Taha, hours after the armed clash with the Israeli special force from the Yamam unit in the old city of Nablus.

The Israeli media described Nabulsi as "the owner of the nine souls" because they were unable to assassinate him despite many attempts (Anatolia)

Minutes before the martyrdom of Nabulsi, he recorded a quick will with panting breath amid his clash with the occupation soldiers, saying, "With the life of your show, no one will leave gunpowder (the rifle), with the honor of your show, do not leave gunpowder."

A month after the martyrdom of Nabulsi, an Israeli was shot near the village of Hawara, south of Nablus, and the previously unknown "Aren Al-Aswad" group claimed responsibility for the incident.

Since that time, this group began to claim responsibility for a large number of shooting attacks against Israel in response to its escalation in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

lions den

On September 3, the "Lion of the Lions" appeared in the form of an organized group of dozens of gunmen, in the eulogy of what it said was its founder, the martyr Muhammad Al-Azizi, and what she described as "the lion of armed clashes Abdul Rahman Sobh", 40 days after they were targeted, According to a statement by the group at the time.

A masked man, led by dozens of armed men, read a statement by the group, and said, "Our guns will not fire a bullet in the air in vain, their only destination is the occupation."

He added that "shooting in the air is a clear departure from the national ranks."

The armed group belonging to the Palestinian resistance was formed in the city of Nablus (communication sites)

As for the relationship with the Palestinian Authority, the statement said: "We go to our brothers in the security services, and we assure them that this weapon is intended only for the occupation."

The masked man concluded his statement: "We ask God to achieve our goal in liberating our occupied lands."

What is so special about the lions' den?

Since the escape of 6 Palestinian prisoners from the Israeli Gilboa prison through a tunnel on September 6, 2021, one of them belonged to the "Fatah" movement and the rest to the "Islamic Jihad".

An armed group called itself "Jenin Brigade" appeared, and its members belonged to various Palestinian factions.

And the "Jenin Brigade" stressed on several occasions - especially after it adopted shooting attacks at the Israeli checkpoints surrounding the city of Jenin and the martyrdom of one of its members - that "not to leave the gun under any circumstances" and direct it towards the occupation and its settlers and those who support them from the customers only, and that their guns will not fire a bullet in the air. .

Jenin Brigade includes fighters from different Palestinian factions (Reuters)

The martyr Jamil al-Amouri, who belongs to Saraya al-Quds (the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement), who was assassinated by the occupation army on June 10, 2021, was its most prominent leader.

He has the nickname "The Renewed Engagement" and was later announced to be the founder of this battalion.

During the battle of "Sword of Jerusalem" in 2021, Al-Amouri gave a video speech and said, "Our youth who carry weapons in the West Bank, do not shoot your bullets in the air. This weapon is a trust in your neck, and it is a religious and legitimate duty to go to the occupation."

Al-Amouri was martyred along with two members of the Palestinian Authority, Adham Yasser Aliwi from Nablus, and Tayseer Mahmoud Issa from Jenin, during a clash with an Israeli special force.

The military uniform of the martyr Adham Aliwi, who was martyred by Israeli bullets, accompanied by a soldier at the last moment of the assassination of the commander of the Jenin Brigade Jamil Al-Amouri (European)

And the unification of the guns in the clash with the occupation, stimulated the Palestinian street to interact with the martyrs, share their pictures and produce songs bearing their names.

On the Palestinian social media pages, Fathi Khazem (Abu Al-Raad), a retired fiftieth colonel from the Palestinian Authority and the father of the martyrs Raad and Abdel Rahman, has nicknames such as "Father", "Spring of Heroism" and "Chief of Staff of Jenin".

Abu Raad Khazem, father of the perpetrator of the Dizengoff operation on April 7 last (Reuters)

The Palestinian Fathi Khazem appears at the funerals of the martyrs surrounded by dozens of gunmen and addresses the crowd with words full of religious verses and concepts related to martyrdom, death and conflict with the occupation.

Israel was afraid of reproducing Jenin's experience in Palestinian cities, until the emergence of "The Lions' Den", which had roots with other names such as the "Nablus Brigade".

The members of the group are mostly young Palestinians, some of whom were previously affiliated with Fatah, Hamas or Islamic Jihad.

Among them are also the sons of fathers who serve in the Palestinian security services, but they refuse to attribute themselves to a particular faction.

Coinciding with the settlers' attacks in the West Bank and the attacks in Jerusalem, the number of shootings against Israelis increased. Last September, 34 shootings were recorded in Nablus alone, according to Israeli media.

Brief statement

The group's channel on the Telegram application, which has more than 200,000 subscribers, has been the first source of news about its operations since last August.

About an hour before the announcement of its official data, "Aren Al-Aswad" returned to its followers the phrase, "Soon, a brief statement."

The pages of other Palestinian factions share the statements of the armed group that was formed in the city of Nablus, in addition to the interaction of thousands of followers with the content of the statement.

The Palestinians in various cities of the West Bank responded to the call of the "Aren of the Lions" group, which called for the alarm to go out at 12:30 weeks ago, and to shout from the rooftops.

Areen al-Aswad claimed shooting attacks at military checkpoints and Israeli settlements near Nablus (European)

The most famous military statement by Al-Aswad was the statement on the night the occupation stormed the city of Nablus, two days ago. Al-Areen said amid the clashes taking place in the city and the news of the siege of a special Israeli unit inside the Old City: It's time for the lions to come out of their lair... live on jihad."

Al-Aswad also mentions in its statements the phrase "Who will besiege whom?"

In reference to the siege imposed by the occupation on the city of Nablus for 17 consecutive days.

 In the eyes of Israel

On October 13, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that Nablus and Jenin pose a "great challenge" to his army.

He vowed to eliminate "the lions' den", and considered that "Nablus and Jenin are the reason for strengthening the Israeli forces and intelligence efforts in the West Bank."

On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said that their goal was "and continues to strike terrorism and its senders a severe and continuous blow in Jenin, Nablus, and everywhere else where terror dens are established."

He added about the recent IDF operation in Nablus, "As part of this activity, a great deal of damage was inflicted on the terror lab of Lair Al-Aswad."

Tens of thousands mourn the five martyrs of Nablus in a solemn procession (European)

In this context, Israeli Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi said that the Israeli army had arrested 1,500 Palestinians in the West Bank during the past seven months.

In his statements, he touched on the group of the lions' den, stressing that "there is no hiding place for them."

Siege After Siege

On the evening of Wednesday, October 26, the "Lawn of the Lions" group issued a press statement, detailing the night that the Israeli occupation forces stormed the city of Nablus, which led to the death of its leader, Wadih al-Houh.

In its statement, the group stated: "On the night of the storming, the leadership of the Lions' Den, and according to security information and estimates, and its connection with an occupation operation targeting the den, met with Prime Minister Yair Lapid and his army minister, Benny Gantz, to achieve electoral achievements."

She pointed out that the Al Areen leadership decided to "maneuver" with the fighters, lure the enemy inside, disperse the fighters in the neighborhoods of the Old City, and strike the occupation from everywhere.

She indicated that the time interval between them and the occupation forces was 10 minutes for the withdrawal of the leader, Wadih al-Houh and those with him, but some of the final preparations for booby-trapping the place prevented his withdrawal.

Tamer Al-Kilani, one of the leaders of "The Lions' Den", is the first martyr that Israel assassinated by remote detonation in nearly two decades (European)

Al Areen confirmed that the Israeli special force had "eliminated it in the truest sense of the word," adding, "We fired heavy and successive bursts of fire and detonated previously planted explosives."

The armed group pointed out that the occupation forces' operation focused only on "rescuing the special force" without reaching the fighters inside, so they bombed the house.

Al Areen challenged Israel to "broadcast the documentary video of the entire operation," accusing the occupation of "lying to its people."

Israeli security alert

Israeli newspapers quoted Channel 13 as saying that the Israeli army raised the state of "security alert" after dozens of warnings about the possibility of the "Black Lair" group carrying out a retaliatory operation following the assassination of one of the group's leaders in Nablus.

The newspapers added that "the Israeli security apparatus is preparing for more similar operations."

The city of Nablus has witnessed a tight security siege for more than two weeks (French)

On the other hand, Israeli security experts indicated that the so-called "Guardian of the Second Fences" operation is imminent in light of security developments in the West Bank, according to what was reported by the Israeli i24 news website.

armed groups

Since the beginning of this year, the phenomenon of militants rejecting the Israeli occupation has been expanding in the old city of Nablus, similar to Jenin refugee camp, both in the northern West Bank.

The "Lion of the Lions" was not the first armed group to resist the occupation and is based in the old city of Nablus. It was preceded by many armed groups, the most famous of which is the Knights of the Night, which was established after the invasion of the city in 2002 by Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades fighters in Nablus, led by the two martyrs Nayef. Abu Sharekh and Bassem Abu Sariya (Gaddafi), whom Israel placed at the head of the wanted men and considered them among the most dangerous pursuers.

Israel assassinated the most prominent leaders of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Nablus during the Al-Aqsa Intifada (European)

Al-Fursan worked in confronting the repeated Israeli invasions of Nablus, and in 2007 was subjected to severe blows by losing its most important leaders, and a number of its fighters in clashes with the occupation army, and was also subjected to harassment by the Palestinian Authority, which prompted in early 2008 an important part of its members to lay down their arms Surrender themselves in exchange for amnesty and stop pursuing them.

During the years of the "second intifada", the city knew the culture of "clashing with the occupier until the last shot."

In 2004, during an Israeli incursion, fighters from the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine clashed with the occupation army, killing an Israeli officer and wounding 3 others, one of whom was described as critical.

The clash, which lasted 3 hours, led to the martyrdom of the commander-in-chief of the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades in Nablus, Yamen Faraj, and his comrade Amjad Hanini.

In 2006, an armed clash with the occupation soldiers in the Old City resulted in the martyrdom of a prominent leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fadi Qafisha. At that time, remnants of the clothes of the occupation soldiers were seen stained with blood, indicating injuries among the attacking Israeli force.

Nablus offered dozens of martyrs, and armed groups worked to confront the repeated Israeli invasions of the city (Reuters)

In 2007, a clash took place with the occupation forces in the city of Nablus, which resulted in the martyrdom of Amin Labada and Fadel Nour, both leaders of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.

At dawn last Tuesday, the Israeli army killed 6 Palestinians, including 5 in the Old City of Nablus, one of whom was Wadih al-Houh (31 years), whom he described as the leader of the "Aren of the Lions" group.

Since October 12, Nablus and its camps have been living under a tight siege imposed by the Israeli army, after one of its soldiers was shot dead the previous day by the group.