Israel Claims Iran is Illegally Smuggling More Weapons to Jenin in the West Bank

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that Iran is attempting to illegally send more weapons to the Jenin area in the West Bank. During a visit to northern West Bank on June 18, he mentioned that due to Iran's efforts to illegally supply arms to the region, Israel is strengthening local defense teams and forming new groups for immediate intervention to protect Israeli residents in nearby settlements. According to him, these groups are meant to provide 'immediate responses' to security threats. Israeli media reported that General Gallant added that the army will provide drones and advanced weapons to these local defense groups to enhance the security of residents in the area. Residents and mayors of the settlements of Gilboa, Emek Me'ayanot, and Taanakhim expressed concern during the meeting with the Israeli Defense Minister regarding the increase in weapons and activities of Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas gangs in Jenin. Following this visit, the Defense Minister wrote in a message on X (formerly Twitter) that Israel will take any offensive or defensive action necessary to thwart terrorism within its borders. General Gallant also stated in the evening during a meeting with a delegation of U.S. Congress members visiting Israel that his country is engaged in a war against Iranian proxy forces that have initiated a 'war against Western civilization' and are fighting on seven fronts against them. The Israeli Defense Ministry announced that Iran is attempting to increase arms among armed gangs close to the Islamic Republic through the eastern West Bank (via Jordan). Jenin has been a consistent target for the Israeli army and security forces in recent months to combat armed Palestinian gangs. Last week, the army and internal security forces conducted an operation lasting several hours that resulted in the deaths of 'four armed Palestinians' in the outskirts of Jenin for using the region's infrastructure for 'terrorist purposes.' Several Palestinians were also injured in that operation, which involved the use of helicopters. Israel emphasizes that combating armed Palestinian gangs in Jenin and other areas of the West Bank is necessary to prevent a potential repeat of attacks similar to the surprise raid by the extremist Hamas group on the country on October 7 of last year. Last week, armed Palestinian gangs released videos of themselves on social media shooting towards central Israeli cities like Kfar Saba, which did not result in casualties but increased the concerns of residents in central Israel, who are not far from Tel Aviv, regarding a similar attack to Hamas's incursion into southern Israel. The New York Times reported last month, citing U.S., Israeli, and Iranian intelligence officials, that the Islamic Republic is using criminal gangs to deliver weapons to Palestinians in the West Bank to destabilize the region against Israel as well. Two officials linked to the Revolutionary Guard told the New York Times that a significant part of the coordination of smuggling routes is carried out by the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard. Matthew Levitt, director of the counter-terrorism program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, stated that Iran intends to saturate the West Bank with weapons and is utilizing criminal networks, primarily Bedouins involved in arms and drug trafficking in Jordan, the West Bank, and Israel itself. The Supreme Leader of Iran, who recently referred to Hamas's raid on Israel as a 'critical regional necessity' to thwart Arab countries' rapprochement with Israel, has called for 'arming the West Bank like Gaza' for years. Since the beginning of the Gaza war, Israel has killed over 500 individuals suspected of involvement in Palestinian gangs in the West Bank and detained thousands. Ongoing operations by the army and security forces in all other areas of the West Bank are conducted without regard for the presence of Palestinian Authority police. However, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa stated that Israel is unofficially repeating the Gaza situation in the West Bank.