Armed Jordanian killed three Israelis in West Bank
Photo: Israeli army (getty images)
An armed man from Jordan killed three Israeli civilians at the Allenby Bridge crossing in the West Bank. The assailant was neutralized by Israeli security forces, according to Reuters.
According to Israeli officials, the attack occurred in a commercial cargo area under Israeli control where Jordanian trucks unloaded upon entering the West Bank. The crossing, also known as the King Hussein Bridge, is located approximately halfway between Amman and Jerusalem, north of the Dead Sea.
The attacker was identified as Maher Ziab Hussein al-Jazi, a 39-year-old truck driver from the influential Huwaitat tribe in southern Jordan. The Jordanian Ministry of Interior later confirmed his identity and reported that he was a resident of the Husayniya area in the southern Ma'an governorate.
"A terrorist approached the area of the Allenby Bridge from Jordan in a truck, exited the truck, and opened fire at the Israeli security forces operating at the bridge," the Israeli military said.
Reuters notes that Jordan has strong anti-Israel sentiments, leading hundreds of people in the capital Amman to take to the streets to celebrate the attack, claiming that the shooter had avenged the deaths of thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza conflict.
In related news, US Democrats in Congress have joined the United Nations in condemning the killing of an American citizen in the West Bank on Friday. They have called for accountability for Israel amid rising tensions over settlement expansion.
