JERUSALEM, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Israel's army confirmed Monday it had arrested a senior member of the Islamic Jihad amidst rising tensions after Israel demolished a cross-border tunnel of the organization, killing a dozen militants.
An Israeli military spokesperson said in a statement that overnight between Sunday and Monday, "IDF (Israel Defense Forces) apprehended a senior operative of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine."
The man, identified by Palestinian media as Tarek Qadaan, 47, was arrested in the town of Arraba, southeast of Jenin city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
"The suspect was transferred to security forces for further questioning," the spokesperson said.
According to the Hebrew-language Walla website news, Israel's army also heightened its alert throughout the separation fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
The moves came after the Islamic Jihad vowed to avenge the death of at least 12 of its fighters in a tunnel that Israel blew up on October 30. Israel said the construction was a "terror tunnel," planned to carry out attacks, that run from Gaza into Israeli territory.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to "take a very firm stance against anyone who tries to attack us or attacks us from any area."
The escalation comes at a sensitive time, as the rival Fatah and Hamas, an Islamist movement that runs Gaza, are working on the implementation of a reconciliation historic deal. Israel objects the deal.
