IDF carrying out ‘most powerful’ operations in Judea and Samaria since 2002, says civil admin head

The military has been conducting an offensive in northern Samaria, dubbed “Operation Iron Wall,” since Jan. 21.

By Akiva Van Koningsveld, JNS

The Israel Defense Forces’ counter-terrorism raids in Judea and Samaria are the “most powerful” since “Operation Defensive Shield” in 2002, Brig. Gen. Hisham Ibrahim, the head of the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration, told local leadership during a meeting on Monday.

“The past year was the most powerful in terms of operational activity in Judea and Samaria since Defensive Shield,” Ibrahim declared during the meeting with dozens of mayors from Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley, Hebrew media reported on Tuesday.

“OC Central Command Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, together with the division and all the units operating in the area, are leading a very powerful use of force against the terror nests in the terror camps in northern Samaria,” he said. “We are seeing the results on the ground.

As part of the IDF’s preparedness for “a variety of possible scenarios,” the army has worked to provide additional “security components” for the 500,000 residents of Jewish communities throughout the territory.

“As part of the work, dozens of plans were launched to improve the security of the communities, including unique access roads for IDF forces, landing pads and more,” Ibrahim revealed. “All of this is based on the understanding that we must be prepared for every scenario.”

“It can be stated that the good relationship between the local authorities and the IDF is a major component in maintaining security,” he added.

The military has been conducting an offensive in northern Samaria, dubbed “Operation Iron Wall,” since Jan. 21. On Feb. 23, Israeli tanks were spotted near the terrorist hotspot of Jenin for the first time since “Defensive Shield,” that lasted from March to May 2002.

Overnight on Sunday, Israeli security forces arrested 18 suspected terrorists in operations throughout the Judea and Samaria regions, including in the Jenin area, according to an official IDF statement.

During an operation in Yatta, near Hebron in the Judea Brigade area of deployment, forces confiscated explosives, weapons and ammunition.

Israeli security officials are aware that a “more intense front” could open in Judea and Samaria amid the resumption of fighting with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on March 19.

Also earlier this month, it was reported that the Israeli army was putting together a bank of targets to be attacked by the Israeli Air Force in the case of an Oct. 7, 2023-style terrorist attack in Judea and Samaria.

The plan would see IAF fighter jets, drones and helicopters attack access roads to Jewish communities in the territory, as well as other strategic targets, to slow down terrorists’ advance.