On Monday, August 27, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israeli Security Agency (ISA), and Israel Police launched a counterterrorism operation against Palestinian armed factions and their associated branches in the West Bank.
“Israeli security forces began a counterterrorism operation in Jenin and Tulkarm, eliminating armed terrorists from the air and ground, dismantling explosives planted under the roads, and confiscating large quantities of weapons,” stated the IDF.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said that Israeli operations killed nine Palestinians. However, that agency does not differentiate between civilians and terrorists. Furthermore, Hamas issued a statement mourning the deaths of three fighters killed while “confronting the Zionist aggression” in the West Bank.
Separately, the IDF said it eliminated nine armed terrorists. “In the area of Jenin, three armed terrorists who posed a threat to the security forces were eliminated in an aerial strike by an aircraft. Furthermore, in the areas of Jenin and Tulkarm, the forces eliminated two additional armed terrorists […] Simultaneously, security forces initiated an aerial counterterrorism operation in the area of Far’a, during which an aircraft struck and eliminated four armed terrorists that posed a threat to the forces,” stated the IDF.
Adding some detail to the operation, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz stated on X that Iran and its partners are attempting to establish a front against Israel and support terrorist groups in the territory.
“The IDF is working intensively from tonight in the Jenin and Tulkarm refugee camps to thwart Islamic-Iranian terrorist infrastructures that have been established there. Iran is working to establish an eastern terrorist front against Israel in the West Bank, according to the Gaza and Lebanon model, by financing and arming terrorists and smuggling advanced weapons from Jordan. We must deal with the threat just as we deal with the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza, including the temporary evacuation of Palestinian residents and whatever steps are required,” said Katz.
To illustrate the current threats facing Israeli troops in the West Bank, a photograph shared on Telegram by a channel linked to Palestinian terrorist groups purportedly depicted an Israeli military vehicle haphazardly outfitted with a cellular jamming device. The Israeli military may have used the device to thwart attempts to remotely detonate IEDs often hidden under roads in the northern West Bank. Additional posts on social media featured footage of gunfire and IEDs aimed at Israeli troops and vehicles.
Since 2021, Iran-backed terrorist groups such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades have gained a significant foothold in the northern West Bank by establishing so-called “battalions.” These affiliated groups have entrenched themselves in different sectors of the northern West Bank, where they often clash with the IDF and carry out attacks against Israeli civilians. Areas such as Tulkarem, Jenin, Nablus, Tubas, and others have become strongholds for Iran-backed groups.
The Palestinian Authority has made some efforts to rein in Hamas and Islamic Jihad, but they are not enough to stop the flow of arms smuggling and the growth of terrorism in the territory.
