Occupation Fears “Lebanonization” of the West Bank as Resistance Operations and IED Use Expand

Department of Security and Military Strategic Research 13-07-2024

The occupation government and military leadership are increasingly concerned about the West Bank transforming into a resistance front similar to Gaza and Lebanon. This shift comes as resistance operations in the West Bank advance, notably with the growing use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Israeli media have reported apprehensions among the occupation army’s leadership and intelligence services about a “Lebanonization” of the West Bank, drawing parallels to Hezbollah’s tactics in the 1990s, which involved extensive use of IEDs during Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon before their withdrawal in 2000.

Resistance activities in the West Bank have seen significant and notable developments since the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation on October 7. The increased use of IEDs has become a major concern for the occupation forces, with these devices now being one of the primary weapons in the resistance’s arsenal against the occupation.

According to the Israeli “Kan” channel, the advancement in IED technology has become a persistent concern for Israel, with the threat level in the West Bank rising in recent times. Some of these devices reportedly contain dozens of kilograms of explosives, detonated remotely, and are often buried under asphalt on roads.

Israeli military experts noted that the occupation forces use armored bulldozers to clear roads before other vehicles proceed, aiming to detonate any hidden IEDs with these bulldozers. However, the resistance has adapted by burying IEDs deeper to avoid detection, sometimes planting them a meter or more underground, particularly after previous bulldozing operations in areas like Tulkarm and Jenin.

As a result, resistance fighters have successfully detonated IEDs against Israeli soldiers despite engineering sweeps. Israeli media highlighted that almost every Israeli incursion into West Bank cities and camps now faces resistance with IEDs, which have become an “operational burden.”

The most recent incident occurred on July 9, when resistance forces targeted Israeli troops with an IED near the Nur Shams camp in Tulkarm, resulting in the death of a soldier driving a Puma vehicle. On July 1, “Kan” reported that IEDs used by the resistance led to the death of an officer and a soldier, with 17 others wounded in Jenin and Tulkarm.

To mitigate the exposure of its forces to IEDs, the Israeli army has decided to increase aerial assaults, enhance intelligence surveillance, and ban the import of fertilizers into the West Bank, as reported by “Yedioth Ahronoth.” On July 10, occupation forces launched a large-scale military operation targeting agricultural nurseries, stores, and veterinary clinics, claiming these raids aimed to disrupt the production of explosive devices.

“Yedioth Ahronoth” also reported the Israeli army’s significant concern over the potential introduction of a “balance-breaking weapon” into the West Bank by Palestinian resistance movements and Iran. Channel 12 quoted an Israeli army official stating, “Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah aim to flood the area with IEDs to target the Israeli army.”

According to the channel, the central command and West Bank division of the occupation army are particularly worried about the day when Iranians succeed in smuggling standardized IEDs into the West Bank, which would have even more devastating effects.

The occupation government and military leadership are deeply concerned about the West Bank transforming into a resistance front similar to Gaza and Lebanon, as resistance operations in the cities, villages, and camps of the West Bank escalate both in quantity and quality, along with the development of military strategies and weaponry by the resistance fighters.