Islamic Jihad has maintained a network along the border with Israel.

Israeli security sources said the Iranian-sponsored Jihad has established a network in Bethlehem, adjacent to Jerusalem. The sources said Jihad used Bethlehem as a launching pad for attacks on Jewish commuters to Jerusalem.

On November 3, Israeli troops killed a senior Jihad commander wanted since 2001. The commander, identified as Taer Hassan, 27, was said to have directed numerous attacks against targets in and around Jerusalem.

“He was involved in vast terrorist activity in recent years and in particular in the dispatching of various terror attacks,” a security source said.

The sources said Jihad targeted a tunnel that connected Jerusalem to the southern West Bank. They said Hassan tried to drive an explosives-laden vehicle into the tunnel during rush hour.

The Jihad network was also involved in the recruitment of suicide bombers in Bethlehem. The sources said Jihad cooperated with the Fatah militia led by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

“Hassan was involved in recruiting of suicide bombers, procurement of weaponry and planning of future terror attacks,” the source said.