Nine sheep and a shepherding dog died Tuesday, while more than 40 additional sheep were affected in a poisoning incident in grazing areas on a hill near Alon Road in the Binyamin region.

According to local residents, a terrorist cell from the village of al-Mughayyir entered the grazing area and poured a toxic substance into a water trough used by local flocks.

The flock reached the trough in the afternoon. Shepherds said that shortly after drinking from the contaminated water, dozens of sheep began convulsing and showing severe symptoms of poisoning.

Residents rushed to the scene with veterinary medications in an attempt to save the animals. Nine sheep have died so far, while more than 40 are being treated at the site.

The shepherding dog accompanying the flock also drank from the trough. It soon developed severe symptoms and died.

Security forces arrived at the scene and launched searches for the suspects.

Residents said this was not the first such incident. According to them, it was the 13th poisoning incident in the grazing areas near Alon Road over the past year, and they attribute the attacks to a cell operating from al-Mughayyir.

In previous incidents, they said, only a few sheep died each time. This time, however, the number of animals affected was unusually high.