Lions' Den (militant group)
Palestinian armed faction / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Lions' Den (Arabic: عرين الأسود, romanized: ʿArīn al-ʾUsud) is a Palestinian militant group operating in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.[5]
Lions' Den | |
---|---|
Founders | Mohammed al-Azizi Abdel Rahman Suboh |
Foundation | July 2022 |
Headquarters | Nablus, West Bank, Palestine[1] |
Size | ~100 (according to Palestinian security sources)[2] |
Allies | Hamas[3][4] |
Opponents | |
Battles and wars | Israeli–Palestinian conflict |
The group emerged in August 2022, a year of increased violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and takes its moniker from Ibrahim al-Nablusi, a prominent militant from Nablus, nicknamed The Lion of Nablus, who was killed in an Israeli raid.[6][7] It comprises members of other Palestinian militant organizations,[8] traditionally opposed by Fatah, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and disaffected members of Fatah, mainly young and secular.[5] The group is reportedly based in the Old City of Nablus.[9]
The organization was founded by a 25-year-old Palestinian named Mohammed al-Azizi, more commonly known as "Abu Saleh", and his friend Abdel Rahman Suboh, or "Abu Adam", 28 years old. They were both killed in fighting in July 2022.[10][11] The group has experienced a rise in popularity among Palestinians in the West Bank, spurred by mounting frustration with the over 50 year old Israeli occupation of the West Bank, the seeming permanence of Israeli settlements and an accompanying increasing Israeli settler violence, along with ineffective governance by the Palestinian Authority.[5]