In recent days, a Palestinian drive-by shooting killed an Israeli man and injured another. On Tuesday, several Palestinian terrorists planting a bomb in the nearby village of Tammun were injured when a bomb they were planting exploded prematurely.

And on Wednesday, Israel assassinated a Palestinian terrorist who, working on behalf of Iran, directed weapons smuggling from Jordan. The smuggling is a significant reason for a surge in illegal Palestinian weapons — and it passes through their area.

“The situation is awful,” one valley resident told The Press Service of Israel. The resident, who will be identified as L. works in the military and did not want to be identified discussing a sensitive issue.