Iraq News Now

Israeli army to stay in Jenin and Syria, says defence minister

Israeli army to stay in Jenin and Syria, says defence minister
Israeli army to stay in Jenin and Syria, says defence minister

2025-01-29 20:00:03 - From: Middle East Eye


Israeli army to stay in Jenin and Syria, says defence minister Israel Katz's announcement comes as large-scale military campaign in Jenin camp enters ninth day
Mera Aladam
.webp?itok=Jd0ZCNgJ 1x" type="image/webp" width="1400" height="787"> Palestinians walk on a damaged street as they leave Jenin camp during an Israeli raid, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, 22 January 2025 (Reuters)

Israel's minister of defence announced on Wednesday that Israeli forces will remain in the Jenin refugee camp in occupied West Bank and in Syrian territory that it recently seized bordering the occupied Golan Heights.

Speaking from the camp, Israel Katz warned that the "Jenin refugee camp will not return to what it was" after the army's campaign in the city, dubbed Operation Iron Wall, concludes. 

On 21 January, the Israeli military bombed and stormed Jenin as it launched a major assault on the northern West Bank city, days after a ceasefire in Gaza went into effect. 

At least 17 Palestinians have since been killed and 50 wounded by Israeli fire, according to Palestinian media. The Israeli army has also demolished roughly 60 Palestinian homes in the camp, Israeli media reported.

The ground assault by Israeli forces, which is now on its ninth day, began as a "counterterrorism operation" in Jenin, the Israeli army declared in a joint statement with Shin Bet, Israel's domestic intelligence agency.

Standing alongside the commander of the Central Command, Avi Balut, the brigadier general of the Israeli division in the West Bank, Yaki Dolf, and commander of the Menashe Brigade, Ayub Kayuf, Katz stressed that the operation would expand to other camps in the occupied territory. 

"We must act with full force to implement the policy of eliminating terrorists and the terror infrastructure in the camp," he said in a video shared by Israeli media.

The minister's office claimed "huge quantities" of weapons were seized in Palestinian homes, comparing it to those the Israeli army had said it found in Gaza, Israeli news outlet Ynet reported.

Katz "declared war" on armed activities in the West Bank and warned the Palestinian Authority (PA) to start taking that fight more "seriously".

Weeks before the Israeli raid on Jenin, the PA had launched a large-scale security campaign in Jenin, which involved besieging the city, shooting at unarmed civilians and clashing with local fighters. 

PA forces killed several Palestinians and wounded many more for over a month before Israel's operation began.

'Indefinite' stay in Syrian buffer zone

Meanwhile, Katz on Tuesday also announced that Israeli troops will "indefinitely" be stationed in Syria's Mount Hermon, citing security concerns. 

The defence minister made the statement during a visit to Israeli posts on the summit of the mountain alongside the commander of the 210th Division, brigadier general Yair Palai, and the commander of the 810th Mountain Brigade, colonel Liron Appleman.

Read More »

Katz proclaimed that the troops will remain deployed in the buffer zone, which was established in a 1974 agreement, to "ensure the security of the communities of the Golan Heights and the north, and all the residents of Israel."

The minister said that the purpose of his trip was to guarantee the Israeli army was prepared "for both defence and offence". 

"We will not return to the reality of October 7, and we will not rely on others for our defence - here or anywhere else. We only rely on the commanders and soldiers of the IDF, both regular and reserve, to provide security to the people of Israel," Katz added. 

“We will not allow hostile forces to establish themselves in the security zone in southern Syria… we will act against any threat."

The defence minister also said Israel would establish a bond with "friendly populations in the area", especially the druze.

Israel has taken advantage of the instability following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in early December to expand its presence in the Golan Heights. It has since launched hundreds of air strikes across Syria, destroying weapons stores, naval ports and military installations.

Syria's new authorities on Wednesday called for the Israeli withdrawal from Syrian territory, saying they were ready to redeploy forces to the mountainous plateau, which Israel seized during the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in 1981

Israeli army to stay in Jenin and Syria, says defence minister
Israeli army to stay in Jenin and Syria, says defence minister