Israeli security forces launched an extensive counterterrorism operation in northern Shomron and Jordan on Tuesday, with forces on a scale not seen since Operation Protective Shield in 2002.  As of Thursday morning, at least 17 terrorists have been eliminated by Israeli security forces, including the chief of the Tulkarm branch of the Islamic Jihad.

Ynet military commentator Yosi Yehoshua wrote on Thursday morning: “Two comments about the operation: 1. If the border with Jordan is not closed, explosives will continue to flow to Jenin, Tulkarm and the other terror hubs. We need to close the ‘East Philadelphi Corridor’ and not just chase the terror in Jenin.”

Channel 14 military commentator Hallel Biton Rosen wrote: “This is a long-term operation and has no deadline. It will continue until all the goals are achieved. 2. Reminder: such an operation in Israel could not have been carried out before the war because the security establishment and government were afraid of rocket fire from Gaza.”

On Wednesday, Army Radio correspondent Doron Kadosh wrote: “New details from the IDF’s broad operation in the refugee camps in northern Shomron and the Jordan Valley:

1. The security establishment admits this morning: The targeted divisional operations have not brought the desired results so far. Terrorist threats in Israel only increased, and we realized that something had to be done to change the reality. We don’t want Israel to become an arena that prevents us from fighting in Gaza or Lebanon.

2. ⁠ The threat of bombings in central Israel: this is the main reason for launching the operation. The attempted bomb attack in the heart of Tel Aviv last week contributed to the decision to launch the operation at this time, even though it was an operation that had been prepared for even earlier. This is an important message from the IDF which is also one of the important lessons of October 7: don’t wait for a deadly attack with dire results – but examine what’s happening according to the terrorists’ intentions and not their results. The event in Tel Aviv, in this respect, was a significant catalyst for the decision to launch the operation. Tulkarm is the most disturbing in terms of the volume of explosives – just yesterday the Palestinians reported three bombs that exploded a few hundred meters from Bat Hefer.

3. ⁠ In preparing for the operation, some lessons were learned from the last broad operation – Operation Bayit Vegan in Jenin in July 2023. Immediately upon the launch of the operation, the first target of the Israeli forces was a complete encirclement of the four central hospitals in the area – two in Jenin and two in Tulkarm. From the beginning of the operation, the hospitals were sealed to prevent terrorists from escaping to them as they did during Bayit Vegan. Patients and ambulances are allowed to enter the hospitals only after being inspected by our forces.

4. ⁠ Unlike the Gaza Strip, the IDF does not intend to proactively evacuate the population from the areas where the operation is underway. In Yehudah and Shomron they behave differently with the civilian population – there are not expected to be any announcements or evacuation leaflets here. And yet, if there are Palestinian residents who are interested in evacuating – they will be permitted to do so.

5. ⁠Two brigades are operating: the Menashe and Kfir Brigades, each in a different area. The idea: to saturate the area with forces as much as possible to prevent the terrorists from escaping and ‘force’ them to fight.

6. ⁠ At the same time as battles in the main terror hubs in the refugee camps in northern Shomron are taking place – IDF forces are also carrying out counterterrorism operations in the rest of the region as well, including Shechem and Binyamin.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)