Israel strikes Iran-backed terrorists in ongoing effort to stop new war front in West Bank

The IDF says it forces "destroyed an underground tunnel shaft containing ready-to-use explosive devices. It also said that "additional weapons were found, as well as ammunition and military equipment." JERUSALEM - Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Wednesday launched a raid on the city of Jenin and its refugee camp - two strongholds of Palestinian terrorist activity - in the West Bank. The IDF operation in the West Bank, known by Israelis by its biblical name Judea and Samaria, raises questions about the opening of a third front in Israel's response to Hamas' multipronged attack against the Jewish state on Oct. 7, resulting in the massacre of 1,400 people in southern Israel. The IDF said in a statement that its counterterrorism forces "exchanged fire with armed terrorists, over ten terrorists were killed, and over 20 wanted suspects were apprehended, among them Nur and Minur Salma, Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists." The U.S. has designated the Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad a foreign terrorist organization. The fighting comes at a time when the Biden administration is cautioning Israeli actions in the West Bank, especially when it comes to violence from a small group of extremist settlers who have been involved in armed confrontations with Palestinian villagers in the area. NETANYAHU TELLS BRET BAIER CEASE-FIRE'MEANS SURRENDER,' INSISTS SQUAD MEMBER IS CALLING FOR'GENOCIDE' Palestinian terrorists take up position during a confrontation with the Israeli army in Jenin on July 3, 2023. The Israeli army said it had launched drone strikes in Jenin as part of an "extensive counterterrorism effort." U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday in Tokyo at the G-7 meeting that "I briefed by (sic) colleagues about my conversations with Israeli leaders on pauses, and on concrete steps to minimize harm to Palestinian civilians in Gaza and to stop extremist violence in the West Bank." The Associated Press reported that President Biden said in late October the attacks by "extremist settlers" amounted to "pouring gasoline" on the already burning fires in the Middle East since the Hamas attack. The administration refers to Jewish residents who live in the disputed West Bank territory as settlers. Following Thursday's raid, the IDF added that "Two M-16 rifles, a'Carlo' gun, three handguns, ammunition, and military equipment were seized." The Palestinian-manufactured "Carlo" gun has its origins in the 2016 terrorism wave against Israelis. The weapon is a watered-down version of the Carl Gustav submachine gun - hence its name, the "Carlo" gun. "The initiative is always ours to prevent a third front.