Israel pushes West Bank offensive amid fears of 'third front' opening up

Clashes erupted between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters in the occupied West Bank on Saturday as Israel continued its military operation in the volatile city of Jenin amid fears of a "third front" emerging in Israel's war on Iran-backed militants.

Israeli troops conducted searches in areas surrounding Jewish settlements after two separate security incidents on Friday night. In Jenin, drones and helicopters circled above, while sporadic gunfire echoed through the city.

Since Wednesday, hundreds of Israeli troops have been carrying out raids in what is one of the most extensive operations in the West Bank in recent months.

Israel says the operation was launched to prevent attacks on its citizens by militant groups backed by Iran.

An Israeli official, speaking to Iran International, revealed on August 29 that "terrorists, with the support of the Islamic Republic," have established military bases in cities and refugee camps across the West Bank.

The official emphasized that Israel's ongoing operation, aimed at dismantling this Iranian-backed network, has no set end date.

So far, at least 19 Palestinians, including both armed fighters and civilians, have been killed since the operation began, according to Reuters. The Israeli military announced on Saturday that a soldier had also been killed during the fighting in the West Bank.

The Israeli forces are confronting Palestinian fighters from armed factions that have long maintained a significant presence in Jenin and the adjacent refugee camp, a densely populated area housing families displaced during the 1948 Middle East war, which coincided with the creation of Israel.

On Saturday, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported that a child in Jenin had been taken to the hospital with a bullet wound to the head.

This escalation in the West Bank occurs amid ongoing fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, nearly 11 months after the conflict began. Additionally, hostilities with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement along the Israel-Lebanon border have intensified.

Late Friday, Israeli forces reported that two men were killed in separate incidents near Gush Etzion, a large settlement cluster in the West Bank south of Jerusalem. The military believes both were attempted attacks on Israelis.

In the first incident, a car exploded at a petrol station in what the army described as an attempted car bombing. A man was shot dead after exiting the vehicle and attempting to attack soldiers.

In the second incident, a man was killed after the military said a car attempted to ram a security guard and infiltrate the Karmei Tzur settlement. The car was pursued by security forces, crashed, and then exploded, according to the military.

Palestinian health authorities confirmed the two deaths but did not provide details on how they occurred.

Troops scoured the area after the incidents, and security forces conducted raids in Hebron, where the two men were from.

Hamas praised what it termed a "double heroic operation" in the West Bank, stating that it was "a clear message that resistance will continue as long as the occupation's aggression against our people and land persists." However, the group did not claim direct responsibility for the attacks.

On Saturday, Israeli army chief General Herzi Halevi announced that Israel would intensify both defensive measures and offensive actions like the Jenin operation.

Amid the fighting, armored bulldozers searching for roadside bombs have torn up large sections of paved roads, damaging water pipes and causing flooding in some areas.

Since the Hamas attack on Israel last October, which sparked the Gaza war, at least 660 Palestinian combatants and civilians have been killed in the West Bank, according to Palestinian sources. Some were killed by Israeli troops, while others died in attacks by Jewish settlers on Palestinian communities.

Israel alleges that Iran provides weapons and support to militant factions in the West Bank, which has been under Israeli occupation since the 1967 Middle East war.

(With reporting by Reuters)