TUBAS, Palestine / ISTANBUL

The Israeli army launched a large-scale military operation in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, according to local sources.

The army significantly reinforced its forces inside the northern Tubas governorate and deployed military bulldozers to several areas, while Israeli helicopters opened fire toward targets whose nature has not yet been identified, according to an Anadolu correspondent.

“This is the first time in years that Apache helicopters were involved in such an operation, firing heavy machine-gun rounds toward residential areas,” Tubas Governor Ahmad Al-Asaad said in a statement on the US social media platform Facebook.

The Israeli operation targeted the city of Tubas along with the towns of Aqaba and Tammun.

The army imposed a curfew and sealed off all entrances to the governorate with earthen berms and military checkpoints.

The movement of ambulances and medical teams was restricted, the governor said.

Israeli forces raided several homes in the towns of Tammun, Tubas, al-Far’a, and Tayasi and turned many of them into military posts, Asaad added.

An emergency committee was established to respond to the situation on the ground and to address humanitarian cases and essential needs, he said, confirming that the governorate is working in coordination with local institutions to provide necessary emergency services.

Schools and workplaces have suspended operations as part of security measures.

The Israeli army said in a Wednesday statement that its forces began operating overnight in the northern West Bank with Shin Bet and police forces, claiming that it came as part of “counterterrorism” efforts in the area.

Asaad told Anadolu that the Israeli side informed Palestinian authorities that the ongoing military operation in the governorate will continue for several days, which he called a “dangerous escalation.”

The governor denied Israeli claims of the presence of “wanted individuals” inside Tubas, stressing that “the operation is political, not security-related.”

The Israeli army has escalated attacks in the West Bank since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

At least 1,082 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 11,000 injured in attacks by the army and illegal settlers in the occupied territory. More than 20,000 have also been arrested.

In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.