(TPS) An Israeli Jewish shepherd herding his flock near the community of Ma’on, south of Hebron, was severely injured Monday evening by an Arab mob that viciously assaulted him.

The shepherd was injured by a terrorist who attacked him with a hoe on the head while dozens of terrorists in the area rioted and threw rocks at local Jewish residents.

The victim was evacuated to the trauma department at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba in serious condition.

The head of the Mount Hebron Regional Council, Yochai Damari, stated that “this is an attempted murder and requires the security forces to act decisively against the threats, and to restore deterrence and security to the residents and the region.”

One primary suspect was arrested on site. IDF forces operated on Monday night in the nearby Arab village of A-Tawani and searched for suspects in the attack.

During their entry into the village, several suspects threw rocks at the troops, who responded by dispersing the rioters.

Some Arab reports say that one of the main perpetrators of the attack is a Palestinian Authority police officer.

In related news, Israeli forces continued their counterterrorism operation throughout Judea and Samaria on Monday night, including in the villages of Anata, Yatta and Beit Awa.

IDF soldiers operated in the Balata refugee camp in Samaria and arrested a wanted man suspected of involvement in terrorist activity. During the operation, terrorists threw explosives and shot at the forces, who responded with gunfire. Hits were detected.

In the villages of Eilar and Artah, IDF forces arrested two wanted persons suspected of terrorist activities.

Two additional wanted persons were arrested by the security forces in the village of Silwad and in the Daheisha refugee camp in the area of ​​the Etzion division.

A total of five suspects were arrested.

There were no Israeli casualties in any of the incidents.

The IDF and Israel’s security forces have arrested about 1,500 terror suspects and have prevented hundreds of terror attacks in the four months since the commencement of Operation Wave Breaker, Israel’s counterterrorism operation launched in May following several deadly terror attacks that the country experienced in recent months, leaving 19 Israelis dead.