‘Prepare for a Long Stay’: IDF Deploys Tanks in the West Bank for the First Time in Over 20 Years

Latest Developments

IDF Tanks Enter West Bank Terror Hub: The IDF announced on February 23 that a tank platoon from the 188th Armored Brigade had been deployed to Jenin as part of an expansion of its counterterrorism efforts in the West Bank. The move marks the first time that tanks have operated in the West Bank since Operation Defensive Shield in 2002, which aimed to reduce suicide bombings in Israel carried out by Palestinian terrorist groups.
West Bank Operation Expanded Following Attempted Tel Aviv Bus Bombings: The IDF increased the intensity of its ongoing West Bank counterterrorism operation, dubbed “Iron Wall,” after three bombs planted on empty Tel Aviv area buses detonated prematurely on February 20. Two more explosive devices were discovered on additional buses in a botched attack that caused no casualties and reportedly originated from the West Bank. A gag order was issued for the case on February 21 and remains in effect until March 13.
Defense Minister Prepares Army for Extended Deployment: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that he had “instructed the IDF to prepare for a long stay” in West Bank terror hotbeds like Jenin and Tulkarem, adding that the IDF would “not allow residents to return and terror to grow.” Katz said that the ongoing IDF operations are helping to clear “nests of terror” in the West Bank, which have been “built, armed, funded, and supported by the Iranian evil axis.”

FDD Expert Response

“The deployment of Israeli tanks in the West Bank is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it sends a clear message to terrorist groups in the northern West Bank that Israel can rapidly deploy tanks when necessary. On the other hand, this show of force demonstrates the significant security threat these groups have created in the territory.” —Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

“By deploying tanks in Jenin, the IDF is seeking to change the equation in the battle against terrorist groups. These organizations are seeking to expand their roles in northern West Bank cities such as Jenin and Tulkarem. Tanks are a powerful military tool that shows these terrorists that Israel is there to stay and won’t let the northern West Bank slip into the hands of groups that threaten Israel’s existence.” — Seth J. Frantzman, Adjunct Fellow

“Israel is deploying tanks into the West Bank not only as a reactive measure to increased terror threats like the bombings in Tel Aviv but also to preempt further terrorist mobilization at a time when Iran-backed terror groups like Hamas are searching for a different arena from which to launch attacks against civilians after their forces were depleted in Gaza.” — Aaron Goren, Research Analyst and Editor