The IDF launched “Operation Iron Wall” on Jan. 21 to neutralize the threat posed by Palestinian terrorist hubs in Samaria.
By JNS
Israel’s security forces expanded “Operation Iron Wall” counterterrorism operation in northern Samaria over the weekend, operating in 15 villages throughout the area, the Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday.
Approximately 10 IDF battalions, amounting to thousands of soldiers, operated simultaneously in dozens of villages alongside Israel Border Police and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) officers, the military said.
התרחבות נוספת במבצע ׳חומת ברזל׳ בפיקוד המרכז: כוחות צה״ל, מג"ב ושב״כ פעלו בסוף השבוע ב-15 כפרים במקביל בצפון השומרון
כוחות הביטחון החלו לפעול ביום שישי לסיכול טרור בצפון השומרון כחלק מהרחבת מבצע ׳חומת ברזל׳.
במסגרת הפעולה כ-10 גדודים פעלו בעשרות כפרים ביהודה ושומרון.
בנוסף למאות… pic.twitter.com/Nm7uboJHVr— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) June 22, 2025
In the Menashe Brigade area of deployment, the forces completed a 30-hour counter-terror operation in eight towns in the areas of Jenin and near the Jewish community of Homesh.
As part of the raids, nine suspected terrorists were arrested and over 250 buildings searched. Equipment for manufacturing weapons was found, along with two M-16 rifles, airsoft guns and 10 pipe bombs.
In the Ephraim Brigade area, IDF troops conducted parallel operations in the villages of Bal’a, Deir al-Ghusun and Attil in the Tulkarem area.
Four terrorists were detained during searches of some 900 buildings, and “weapons of various types, along with other arms,” were seized.
In the Samaria Brigade sector, security forces operated in the villages of Ein Bidan, Talluza and Asira ash-Shamaliya, in the wake of last week’s counter-terror activities in Nablus and Balata, according to the army.
The forces searched over 80 buildings throughout the three villages, interrogating dozens of suspects and confiscating weapons, the military stated.
“The detainees and seized weapons were transferred to the Judea and Samaria Police District and the Shin Bet for further handling,” the IDF continued.
“Security forces will continue counter-terrorism efforts in northern Samaria to maintain the safety of local residents and the citizens of the State of Israel.”
The IDF launched “Operation Iron Wall” on Jan. 21 to neutralize the threat posed by Palestinian terrorist hubs in Samaria.
The IDF has intensified its raids in the area following the failed Feb. 20 bus bombings near Tel Aviv. Three empty buses exploded, and bombs were found on two others in what is being investigated as a coordinated terror attack.
At least one of the bombs reportedly bore a note, in Arabic and Hebrew, that stated: “Revenge from the Tulkarem refugee camp.”
Palestinian terrorists targeted Israeli Jews in Judea and Samaria at least 6,343 times in 2024, according to figures published by the Rescuers Without Borders (Hatzalah Judea and Samaria) NGO on Feb. 17.
Twenty-seven Israelis were murdered in Judea and Samaria in 2024, and more than 300 others were wounded, the group said in its annual report.
