An IDF force arrested two young Arab men from the village of Madama near Yitzhar Thursday, after they set fire to brush north of the Jewish community in Samaria (Shomron).

Earlier in the day, large forces of police and firefighters arrived at the Yitzhar after receiving a report that a fire had broken out near the village of Asira al Kabaliya.

An Arab fire truck put out the blaze while the IDF provided security.

Later, the two Arabs were spotted in the act of setting a fire north of Yitzhar. After a short chase, the two were arrested and taken to Shin Bet interrogation.

Residents in Yitzhar were pleased with the arrests. “For a long time now,” a resident said, “we’ve been dealing with the escalation in terror, the arson and the ongoing provocations, which reached a peak last Shabbat.”