Israeli security forces have arrested members of an ISIS-affiliated cell suspected of planning a terrorist attack inside Israel, the police announced on Wednesday, February 18, 2026.
The operation, led by the Israel Security Agency (ISA)—the country’s internal security and counterintelligence service—involved weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance.
Elite Yamas Border Police officers from the Jerusalem District, alongside Israel Defense Forces (IDF) personnel, carried out the arrests targeting individuals accused of “advancing terror activity.”
Soldiers from the Lions of the Jordan Valley Battalion apprehended three cell members in Jericho last week, while Yamas Border Police officers arrested a fourth suspect in the same city earlier this week.
All suspects have been transferred to the ISA for further interrogation. Authorities stated that proactive counterterrorism efforts will continue to safeguard the public.
In a separate but related operation, Border Police officers from the Northern District Central Investigations Unit raided a hideout in the Had Nes community in the Golan Heights.
They arrested Bashar Mahoul, 43, a senior figure in the Abu Latif crime organization, who had been evading authorities since the launch of an investigation involving a state witness known as “the Prince.”
During the arrest, officers recovered a copy of the indictment from the “Prince” case, indicating that Mahoul had continued to closely monitor legal proceedings against the syndicate while in hiding.
Following interrogation, the State Attorney’s Office is expected to file an indictment against Mahoul at the Haifa District Court for multiple offences, including extortion by threats.
The arrest comes shortly after indictments were filed against 17 defendants linked to the Abu Latif and Hariri cartels—two of Israel’s most powerful and dangerous organised crime groups.
Israeli authorities emphasised that both operations demonstrate ongoing commitment to dismantling terrorist networks and organised crime syndicates threatening national security and public safety.
