An IDF spokesperson addressed the confrontation between Israeli Arabs and Jews near Asfar in the Judean Hills, where a young Jewish man was injured by an iron rod, saying it was "self-defense." According to the statement, "Israeli citizens attacked Israeli workers who were operating with IDF forces in the Etzion Brigade. During the friction that developed, one of the workers struck an Israeli citizen who was among the attackers with an iron rod in self-defense and injured him. The head of the Civil Administration, Brigadier General Hisham Ibrahim, conducted an initial investigation and clarified that he views the incident with severity."