The terrorists, all three of whom were killed, had fired on soldiers manning a checkpoint near the Samaritan neighborhood on Mount Gerizim.

By JNS

Israeli forces on Tuesday thwarted a terror attack on a military checkpoint on Mount Gerizim in northern Samaria, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

Three terrorists drove to the checkpoint from nearby Shechem (Nablus) and opened fire at the soldiers manning it from approximately 330 feet away, according to the IDF. The soldiers returned fire, killing all three of the assailants, according to Israeli media reports.

The IDF did not immediately confirm the media reports, in its statement saying only that the terrorists had been “neutralized.”

Three M-16 rifles, a handgun, ammunition and military equipment were found in the terrorists’ vehicle, according to the IDF.

No Israeli casualties were reported.

Mount Gerizim is inhabited by a small Samaritan community, numbering barely 1,000 people. The Samaritans believe they are descendants of the “lost” northern tribes of ancient Israel and, while not Jews, practice a religion similar to Judaism, based only on what is in the written Five Books of Moses.

The community has been targeted by Palestinians a number of times over the years.

Hours before this incident, a firebomb was thrown at the vehicle of an Israeli citizen in the Mount Hebron area of Judea. The driver was able to escape unharmed, but the vehicle was completely destroyed.

Also on Monday night, Palestinian terrorists opened fire on a public Israeli bus in Samaria.

The bus was traveling through the village of Huwara near Shechem (Nablus) when terrorists fired at least eight bullets at it, the IDF confirmed. No injuries were reported, though the bulletproof vehicle sustained damage.