Terror cannot be defeated solely by defensive actions, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Ronen Bar said during a situational assessment in the West Bank city of Jenin on Wednesday with IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi.
“We are in a multi-front campaign—but right now, it’s Samaria’s time," he asserted.
"You can’t defeat terrorism through defense alone. I think the value of completing the mission has very significant benefits,” Bar added.
Halevi added that there was a need for a series of military operations in the Palestinian refugee camp.
“We need to be prepared to continue in the Jenin camp, which will bring it to a different place - we are denying the enemy opportunities to harm our forces.”
Commanding Officer of the Central Command, Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth, and the Commanding Officer of the Judea and Samaria Division, Brig.-Gen. Yaki Dolf, were among those in attendance at the situational assessment.
Some 13 terrorists eliminated
The military said the situational assessment was carried out in parallel with the elimination of 13 terrorists in Jenin.
Two of the terrorists carried out the terror attack near the Palestinian town of al-Funduq in the West Bank earlier in January, killing Rachel Cohen, 73, Aliza Reiss, 70, and Israel Police St.-Sgt.-Maj. Elad Yaakov Winkelstein, 35.
Earlier this week, the military announced it had initiated Operation Iron Wall against Palestinian terrorism in Jenin.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.