Israeli military considers reentering Jenin terror hub

Israel Defense Forces is reportedly considering reentering the West Bank city of Jenin, which has emerged as a leading regional hub for terrorism against the Jewish state.

In early July, the IDF completed its Operation Home and Garden counter-terrorism raid in the Jenin refugee camp near the city. The intense fighting claimed the lives of one IDF soldier and at least ten terrorists.

However, it appears that the local terror network is rapidly rearming and regrouping itself.

An unnamed Israeli security official stressed the need for continuous military action against the terror groups in Jenin.

"Thwarting terrorism requires periodic operations in Jenin to prevent its resurgence in the refugee camp," the official said.

However, the official stressed that the next operation would likely be more limited in scope.

"While not on the scale of the latest operation, targeted short-term two-hour operations, like the recent one near Tulkarm, are imminent."

Located in the northern West Bank or Samaria, Jenin is formally under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority (PA). However, Ramallah’s influence is limited in practice because of what has become an increasingly lawless and violent region.

The Islamist terror group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, is taking advantage of the political vacuum by trying to expand its influence in the West Bank at the expense of its rival, the PA.

In addition, Iran has emerged as a destabilizing factor in the region in its continued effort to surround the Jewish state with pro-Iranian terrorist proxies.

In June, a PA official warned that the ayatollah regime has already established a presence in the Judea and Samaria region.

“Iran is already here, in the West Bank,” the PA official warned.