IDF soldiers averted a stabbing attack by an Arab terrorist on Wednesday, after a security check revealed he was carrying a concealed knife.

The soldiers, from the Tzavar battalion of the Givati Brigade, had stopped the Arab man during a routine check near Beit Anoun, located just northeast of Hevron and Kiryat Arba in Judea.

On his person, the soldiers came across a lethal blade and succeeded in arresting him. Under initial investigation, he admitted to planning to stab IDF soldiers.

Hevron has been a key hotbed of terror in the recent wave of attacks, as a large number of assailants have hailed from the ancient city that features a radical Arab population that is overwhelmingly supportive of Hamas.

Numerous attacks, including many lethal ones, have been conducted in Hevron during the wave of attacks that began last September.

Just last Thursday IDF soldiers foiled an attempted stabbing attack in Beit Anoun, as an Arab terrorist tried to murder Jewish civilians waiting at a nearby junction. The soldiers caught the jump on him, shooting him dead before he could deal any damage.

Last Sunday, it was revealed that security forces last November thwarted a massive shooting attack being planned by a Hamas terror cell, targeting Highway 35 near Hevron. In charge of the cell was Mohammed Ali Qawasmeh, 38, who recruited the terrorists – all residents of Hevron. 

Qawasmeh’s brother, Hassam Ali Qawasmeh, was the mastermind behind the abduction and murder of three Israeli teenagers in June 2014. Just two weeks ago, another Qawasmeh-led cell was busted which planned further kidnappings and murders of Israelis.

The ancient city of Hevron, where the Jewish patriarchs and matriarchs other than Rachel are buried, has also been plagued by a serial Arab sniper.