Israel launched what it called a “counterterrorism operation” in the West Bank with hundreds of troops raiding the city of Jenin and other areas of the occupied territory. At least 10 Palestinians have been killed in the raids, either by airstrikes or gun battles on the ground. It’s the largest raid the West Bank has seen in months. Amna Nawaz reports.
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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched an overnight counterterrorism operation in the West Bank targeting militants in multiple locations, including the cities of Jenin and Tulkarem. The IDF reported that it had eliminated five “armed terrorists” in those areas, apprehended “wanted suspects,” and located and confiscated “weapons including M-16s, ammunition and additional military equipment.” IDF troops additionally “exposed and dismantled explosives that were planted under the roads in the area” for use against Israeli forces. The IDF also carried out “an aerial counterterrorism operation in the area of Far’a” as part of its widespread sweep that killed an additional four “armed terrorists.” IDF spokesman Nadav Shoshani said on August 28 that the counterterrorism operation is ongoing. West Bank terrorists have perpetrated some 2,600 attacks against Israelis in the same time period. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz hinted on August 28 that a larger-scale IDF operation was in the works. “We need to deal with the [terror] threat exactly as we deal with terror infrastructure in Gaza, including the temporary evacuation of Palestinian civilians and any other step needed,” Katz said, adding that the operation can be called “a war in every sense.” “The fecklessness of the Palestinian Authority when it comes to reining in terrorist groups, coupled with Iran’s campaign of supporting and arming Palestinian factions in the West Bank, has compelled Israel to launch a large-scale operation. Israeli security has increasingly been compromised by escalating violence in the West Bank over the last three years, while the Palestinian Authority has been outmatched by terrorist groups that are undermining its credibility and influence. Urgent action is needed to bring about substantial change in the West Bank before the situation deteriorates beyond the point of no return.” “The West Bank, already on fire before October 7, is a key part of Iran’s strategy to engulf Israel from all sides. A Hamas foothold — or the proliferation of other terrorist groups — in the West Bank would be catastrophic given its proximity to Israel’s major population centers.” The IDF eliminated five terrorists, including a wanted senior member of Hamas, in two separate counterterrorism operations on August 14. Katz warned on August 12 that Iran is working to destabilize both Jordan and the Palestinian Authority-controlled West Bank by smuggling weapons and funds through the Hashemite Kingdom. In an August 12 post on X, Katz noted that “a serious and dangerous situation is unfolding,” revealing that units from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) “are collaborating with Hamas operatives in Lebanon to smuggle weapons and funds into Jordan with the aim of destabilizing the regime.”
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