6 dead, dozens wounded as IDF launches counter-terror op in Jenin

After Palestinian Authority forces pull out, Israeli army launches Operation Iron Wall against terrorist gangs in northern Samaria city of Jenin, with at least 6 dead in initial fighting.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Israeli forces launched a major counter-terror operation in the northern Samaria city of Jenin Tuesday, an IDF spokesperson announced Tuesday afternoon.

The counter-terror sweep, dubbed Operation Iron Wall, was launched in conjunction with the Shin Bet internal security agency and Israel Police, and is aimed at rogue terror groups which have dominated the city in recent years, after Palestinian Authority forces failed to reclaim control of Jenin, despite heavy fighting in December and early January.

The Palestinian Authority’s paramilitary force withdrew from Jenin prior to the launch of the IDF operation, which includes air support, the PA’s WAFA mouthpiece reported.

Video footage from the operation showed the use of armored vehicles in support of infantry units during battles in Jenin which left multiple terrorists dead and dozens wounded.

According to the Palestinian Authority’s health ministry, 6 were killed and 35 more wounded in clashes with IDF forces.

According to a report by The Jerusalem Post which cited an Israeli security source, Tuesday’s operation was launched in response to the deadly terrorist shooting in the Palestinian Authority-administered town of Al Funduq in Samaria on January 6th.

Three Israelis were murdered in the attack, which was perpetrated by terrorists with ties to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s forces in Jenin.

“On the directive of the Security Cabinet, the IDF, the ISA and the Israel Police have today begun an extensive and significant military operation to defeat terrorism in Jenin – ‘Iron Wall’,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday.

“This is an additional step in achieving the objective that we have set – bolstering security in Judea and Samaria.”

“We are acting methodically and with determination against the Iranian axis wherever it reaches – in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Judea and Samaria – and we are still active.”