Tanks seen in Jenin area for first time in over 20 years as Israel escalates counterterror operations

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.

By Ehud Amiton, TPS

Israeli tanks were seen in the area of Jenin on Sunday as the Israel Defense Forces confirmed it was expanding its counterterror operations in northern Samaria.

It marked the first deployment of tanks in Judea and Samaria since 2002. This deployment follows the Thursday night bombings of buses in Bat Yam and Holon.

In a rare visit to the Tulkarem refugee camp on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to escalate the fight.

“In the past year, we have greatly increased our activity,” Netanyahu said as he visited troops 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.”

Nobody was killed in Thursday night’s bombings. On one bus, a passenger noticed a suspicious unattended bag with wires sticking out and Arabic writing. She alerted the driver who evacuated the vehicle.

Three other buses were blown up in separate bus depots while another unexploded bomb was found on another bus. The words, “Revenge from Tulkarem” were found written in Arabic on one of the bags.

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

The Israel Defense Forces launched an ongoing counterterror raid in the Jenin refugee camp on Jan. 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,” come 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.

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 percent were affiliated with Hamas.