Israel Escalates Counter Terror Ops, deploys tanks in West Bank area

Tel Aviv [Israel] February 23 (ANI) Israel tanks were seen in Jenin city on Sunday as the country's army announced an expansion of its operations in the West Bank. This marks the first deployment of tanks in Judea and Samaria since 2002 as per the Press Service of Israel.

This deployment follows Thursday night bombings of buses in Bat Yam and Holon and a directive from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to increase counter -terror operations.

"In the past year, we have greatly increased our activity," Netanyahu said as he visited troops in the Tulkarem refugee area and was briefed by commanders. "We are entering the terrorist strongholds, clearing entire streets used by terrorists, their homes. We are eliminating terrorists and commanders" the TPS reported.

An Israeli Jew, a Palestinian, and a third suspect were reportedly arrested on Friday for the attacks on buses.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched an ongoing counterterror raid in the Jenin refugee camp on January 19. It has since expanded to the Palestinian city Tulkarem and an area of Samaria known as "the Five Villages." The raids, dubbed "Operation Iron Wall," comes on the heels of the Palestinian Authority's failed crackdown in the Jenin refugee camp.

Troops have arrested around 200 terror suspects, seized weapons and explosives, and uncovered a bomb-making laboratory.

Since January 19, Israeli forces have arrested more than 200 terror suspects, eliminated 71 others who were deemed security threats, and confiscated more than 300 weapons and explosives, TPS report said.

In Jenin, a suspect was apprehended after being caught handling explosive devices. A subsequent search revealed a cache of 20 ready-to-use explosives and a grenade body at a construction site.

Since the October 7 attacks, Israeli forces have arrested 6,000 wanted Palestinians in counterterror operations in Judea and Samaria. Around 40 per cent were affiliated with Hamas. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)