Israeli Foreign Minister: IRGC and Hamas Attempting to Smuggle Weapons and Money to the West Bank

Israel Katz, the Israeli Foreign Minister, warned on Monday about the smuggling of weapons from the Islamic Republic of Iran through Jordan to the West Bank. In a post on social media platform X, he stated that Iran's efforts to create 'a new terrorist front in the east against major population centers in Israel' has led to a 'serious and dangerous situation.' According to Katz, units of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are collaborating with Hamas operatives in Lebanon to smuggle weapons and funds into Jordan with the aim of destabilizing the Jordanian government. The senior Israeli diplomat further added that these weapons are then smuggled through the Jordan border to 'Judea and Samaria' (the West Bank), particularly to refugee camps. Katz stated that the goal of smuggling weapons and large amounts of money into the West Bank is to establish an 'Iranian-backed terrorist front' similar to Gaza, Lebanon, and other regions to attack Tel Aviv and other major population centers in Israel. The Israeli Foreign Minister warned: 'The Iranian axis of evil effectively controls the refugee camps in Judea and Samaria through its proxies and has rendered the Palestinian Authority incapable of action.' He emphasized that Israel must take control of 'terrorist centers' such as the Jenin refugee camp and conduct a broad operational campaign to eliminate terrorist infrastructure in these camps. Katz added that such actions align with the common interests of Israel, many regional governments, and the entire free world to prevent the expansion of the 'Iranian axis of evil.' The Israeli Foreign Minister also called for the expedited construction of an eastern wall along the Jordan border to prevent the smuggling of weapons from this country to Israel, which he claimed poses a threat to the security of both countries. Some experts believe that one possible scenario in the event of direct war between the Iranian government and Hezbollah with Israel is the activation of dormant Hamas cells in the West Bank and Israel to attack Jews and increase casualties among Israelis. Katz's warning about the smuggling of weapons and money by the IRGC and Hamas to Jordan and then to the West Bank comes at a time when, since the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31, the Jordanian Foreign Minister has warned the Islamic Republic at least three times that his country will not allow its airspace to be used for attacks against Israel. Over the past years, Jordan has repeatedly engaged with drug and weapon traffickers, especially along its shared borders with Syria. These traffickers are said to be linked to Iranian-backed militia groups in Syria and especially Hezbollah in Lebanon.