Israeli Chief of Staff: The possibility of escalation has increased and we have strengthened our forces in the West Bank

Tel Aviv - Ofoq News - Israeli Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said today, Wednesday, that the possibilities of escalation have increased in light of the many warnings on various fronts and the sensitivity of the stage, stressing that the army continues to prepare for the possibility of being exposed to a surprise attempt.

Zamir's statements came during a visit he made to the Central Command of the Israeli army, during which he held an assessment of the situation and an operational review with military commanders, according to what was reported by the Hebrew "Yedioth Ahronoth" website.

Zamir added that the army has strengthened its forces in various sectors and raised the level of readiness, saying: "We continue to prepare for the possibility that they will try to surprise us."

According to the Israeli army, during the visit, Zamir and the commanders conducted a reconnaissance tour in the “Judea Brigade” area, and reviewed the operational challenges in the region and the tasks assigned to the military teams operating in the West Bank.

The Chief of Staff also approved plans to continue military operations in the region, and stressed the importance of thwarting what he described as “hostile operations” and maintaining “stability” in the West Bank.

Zamir said that the army strengthened its forces in various sectors, and brought the 98th Division into the region with the aim of enhancing security and stability there, adding: “In order to improve operational control on the ground, we strengthened forces in all sectors.”

He stressed that in light of the sensitivity of the stage, the army must maintain vigilance and readiness on various fronts, ensure freedom of action and thwart threats quickly, adding: “We are pursuing terrorism and fighting it everywhere. The Israeli army is in a state of high readiness to move to broad offensive activity against any party that tries to harm the citizens of Israel.”

In another context, Zamir touched on what he described as a "national crime" - settler terrorism - saying that the assault on innocents and violence against them do not reflect the Israeli and Jewish spirit, stressing the need to condemn and eliminate these practices using all means available to the state.

He added that the region is witnessing the olive harvest season, stressing that the army will continue to work to enable the completion of the season, while maintaining public order and the security of all residents in the region.

The commander of the Central Region, Avi Ballut, the commander of the West Bank Division, Kobi Heller, the commander of the 98th Division, Manny Liberty, and the commander of the 96th Division, Oren Simha, participated in the evaluation of the situation, along with the commanders of brigades and battalions in the Central Region Command, and officials from the Israeli General Security Service “Shin Bet” and the border guards in the West Bank.