PA Security Forces Thwart Attempt by Iran-Backed Islamic Jihad to Build Rockets in West Bank
by Benjamin Kerstein
Palestinian Authority security forces have thwarted an attempt by Islamic Jihad to manufacture rockets in the West Bank.
The Israeli news site Mako reported that the terrorist group was operating under Iranian guidance in the building of low-tech rockets.
Despite their crude nature, such rockets would place central Israel under direct threat from short-range projectiles, compounding the threat from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip that southern Israel has faced for nearly two decades.
According to intelligence assessments, various terrorist groups in the West Bank are attempting to establish infrastructure to enable them to conduct major attacks.
While there have been recent terror incidents in the West Bank, most have been stabbings or shootings, rather than rocket attacks or suicide bombings.