Israel Warns of the Formation of a 'Terrorist Front' Supported by the Islamic Republic in the West Bank

As tensions rise in the West Bank following the killing of an Islamic Jihad commander in an Israeli attack, Israel's Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz has once again called for action against Iran's destabilizing efforts in the region. On Thursday, September 8, Katz stated in a post on X that the Islamic Republic of Iran is attempting to create an 'eastern terrorist front' against Israel through special units of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that are involved in arms smuggling, financing, and managing terrorist organizations. According to him, the IRGC units are initially trying to destabilize Jordan by smuggling weapons into the country 'mainly through the Syrian border,' shifting the Israel-Jordan border from its current calm state towards instability and tension. Katz added that these weapons are then smuggled into Judea and Samaria (West Bank), particularly into refugee camps. He noted that an 'Iranian-Hamas terrorist infrastructure' is forming in the West Bank, similar to the models in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq, and that the Palestinian Authority is unable to confront this existential threat. The Israeli Foreign Minister emphasized that his country must take decisive action against the emerging terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank, which they have already begun. He stated that a 'security barrier along the Israel-Jordan border' should be quickly established to prevent advanced Iranian weapons from entering the West Bank. He also called for the strengthening of the Jordanian monarchy by the United States and Western countries to counter Iran's sabotage and empower Jordan to defend its borders. Katz stressed that alongside swift and decisive actions, sanctions against the Iranian government should be intensified to weaken its subversive activities. Meanwhile, the Israeli army announced on Thursday, September 8, that it had eliminated five Palestinian militants, including an Islamic Jihad commander who was hiding inside a mosque in Tulkarm in central West Bank. Additionally, the Israeli army's Persian-language account on X reported that Mohammad Jaber, known as 'Abu Shuja,' the head of the 'Islamic Jihad terrorist organization' in Nur al-Shams, who had participated in many terrorist attacks and led a deadly shooting attack last June, was among those killed. Reuters reported, citing 'local witnesses,' that the operation began early on Wednesday, September 7, with hundreds of Israeli soldiers supported by helicopters, drones, and armored vehicles attacking Tulkarm, Jenin, and areas in the Jordan Valley. Military branches of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah issued separate statements on Wednesday claiming that their militants had detonated bombs against Israeli military vehicles in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Far'a in the Jordan Valley. Since the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7 last year against Israel, followed by the Israeli army's operations in Gaza aimed at destroying this Iran-backed group and recovering kidnapped hostages, tensions in the West Bank have escalated. During this terrorist attack on Israel, over 1,200 Israeli citizens, including women, children, and the elderly, were killed, and more than 250 others were taken hostage. Approximately 10 months after the October 7 terrorist attack, a total of 110 hostages have been freed from Hamas captivity, and according to Israeli estimates, 115 other hostages remain in Gaza, of whom 48 have lost their lives. The Hamas group is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Israel, Canada, Japan, and several other countries. The United States has sanctioned an Israeli NGO and a settler official for 'violence in the West Bank.'