Israel’s large-scale military operation in the occupied West Bank could last several days, the Times of Israel reported on Wednesday, citing sources within the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The main focus of the operation, which began overnight, is the Tulkarem region, but troops are also active in the city of Jenin and a refugee camp near Tubas. According to the army, several wanted Palestinians were arrested during the operation.
During the operation, five people were killed in the refugee camp and two in Jenin, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the West Bank reported.
Three people were killed in a drone attack on their vehicle south of Jenin, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent aid agency.
Israel blames Iran for arms buildup
“The Israeli army is intensively engaged tonight in the Jenin and Tulkarem refugee camps to disrupt the Islamic and Iranian terrorist infrastructures established there,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on X.
He accused Iran of “working to establish an eastern terrorist front against Israel in the West Bank,” following the example of Gaza and Lebanon, “by financing and arming terrorists and smuggling advanced weapons from Jordan.”