The IDF on Wednesday night killed a terror cell in the West Bank using a drone, an unusual move generally reserved for targeting major terrorists or rocket-firing cells in Gaza.
A joint statement by the IDF and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) said that intelligence from the domestic security agency had located the terror cell in real-time as it was perpetrating a shooting attack near Jalma in the Menashe region.
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According to the statement, this same terror cell has recently carried out a number of shooting attacks throughout Judea and Samaria.
Once the cell was identified, the IDF gave a rapid order to have the drone fire on and kill the cell before they could escape again, as they have after past shootings.
IDF was given green light to conduct drone strikes in September
The drone attack came only days after the IDF used a helicopter strike to help rescue ambushed soldiers in Jenin, signaling the defense establishment is taking off the gloves in the West Bank in an unprecedented way - at least in comparison to recent years dating back to Operation Defensive Shield in 2002.
In September 2022, IDF commanders in the West Bank were given the green light to use armed drones to carry out targeted killings of Palestinian terrorists, with the approval of then chief of staff Aviv Kohavi.
According to sources, commanders were then allowed to use the platforms not only as cover and intelligence for forces during operations but also to carry out strikes should armed gunmen be identified as posing imminent threats to their troops.
The order came as Israeli security forces have encountered a significant rise in shooting attacks and massive gunfire during arrest raids, specifically in the northern West Bank cities of Jenin and Nablus.
However, it is only recently that drones, helicopters and other heavier firepower platforms are actually being used in a continuous way.
IDF: Three Palestinian terrorists killed in drone strike
"IDF soldiers identified a terrorist cell inside a suspicious vehicle, after the cell carried out a shooting adjacent to the town of Jalamah," a statement from the Israeli military said. "Following the identification of the terrorist cell, an IDF UAV fired toward the cell and thwarted them."
IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari late Wednesday night said that three terrorists were killed in the drone strike.
Hagari stated that the terror cell appeared to be a mix of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists.
The IDF chief spokesperson said that it was the first time that drones had been used in this manner in the West Bank since 2006 (near the end of the Second Intifada.)
Despite the clear escalation, Hagari said that no one should jump to conclusions about what the IDF might do going forward.
He pushed back on suggestions that now the IDF would for sure loosen its norms and start regularly using drone strikes in the West Bank.
Rather, he suggested that as of now, the use of the drone and of helicopters earlier in the week, was decided upon on a case-by-case basis and that the IDF has not yet committed to a major policy change.
At the same time, these IDF actions have taken place simultaneously with many top government officials calling for an escalation in the use of force against terror.
Hamas', Palestinian military factions' reaction
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said what he called the "assassination crime" would not go unpunished.
"The use of planes by the Zionist army to assassinate our people is a grave escalation," said by telephone.
A statement from the Jenin Brigades, which includes militants from different Palestinian factions, said two of the men killed belonged to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group and one was from the Fatah group.
The Islamic Jihad said Israel must now await "punishment" after its "foolish act to target three of our fighters by drones and detaining their bodies," in a statement.
International reactions to the conflict
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that "It is crucial to reduce tensions and to prevent further escalation. Israel, as the Occupying Power, must ensure that the civilian population is protected against all acts of violence, and that perpetrators are held to account," Haq said.
This is a developing story.