Militants in show of force in Jenin refugee camp
The IDF raid on Jenin on Monday will be a turning point in the military's operational conduct not only because of the hours it took to extract a troop carrier after it was damaged by an IED but because of the powerful explosive device that illustrates how the area is beginning to resemble South Lebanon before the IDF 2,000 withdrawal.
ILTV’S INSIDER: THE IDF OPERATION IN JUDEA AND SAMARIA
(ILTV)
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Security forces were not surprised at the capability of terror groups in the West Bank. A locally made explosive device was seen six months ago in Jenin, and given the number of IED's found on Monday, it is a wonder such events did not occur sooner.
Those devices were also made locally and professionally placed. Incredibly, amid the terrorists' advancing use of such weapons, the military may have to use protected APCs made to be deployed in Gaza and Lebanon, in order to carry out its raids on West Bank cities.
The threat requires the IDF to adopt a new outlook on the region, which has been the home base for most terror squads active in the past months and is the focus of intelligence gathering by security sources. It must be able to deploy its fighters on a regular basis to keep terror activity down.
Jenin has been a hotbed for terrorism and is where rocket production facilities were uncovered, including where a rocket that failed to launch two months ago was produced. What we are observing is not just an uptick in terror activity in the northern West Bank but also an organized effort to deter IDF raids and bolster militant control, much like the situation in the Gaza Strip. Israel must not allow this to happen and therefore must find an adequate response to the new and evolving challenges.
Israel's deterrence suffered greatly on Monday, when local residents from the refugee camp, took photos of themselves with parts of the military's equipment that was left behind. This will no doubt motivate terrorists further.
There are three points that must be noted though. First, despite the results of Monday's raid, the forces in the West Bank, conduct successful nightly raids on the refugee camps in Nablus and Jenin and despite the threat from IEDs, thus far the operations end without casualty.
The second point to note is that other than the refugee camps in Nablus, Jenin and Tulkarem, the rest of the West Bank is relatively calm. And the third point is that the IDF estimates the future may be worse since the Palestinian Authority is losing its control over more and more areas and after Palestinian Mahmoud Abbas is no longer in office, Hamas will execute its plan to take over power there.
The IDF is now faced with three fronts that pose considerable risk. Iran, Lebanon and the West Bank. A response to the threats from the Gaza Strip will have to wait its turn.