For 1st time in over 2 decades, Israel deploys tanks in occupied West Bank amid escalation

For the first time in over two decades, the Israeli army deployed tanks in the occupied West Bank on Sunday amid military escalation in the occupied territory.

A military statement said that troops of the Nahal Infantry Brigade and the Duvdevan Commando Unit began operations in several villages near Jenin in the northern West Bank.

The Israeli public broadcaster KAN said the deployment of tanks was part of "broader preparations for an expansion of military operations in the northern West Bank."

It marked the first time since 2002 when the Israeli army deployed tanks as part of the army's Operation Defensive Shield in the West Bank.

The army has been conducting military operations in the northern West Bank since last month, killing at least 60 people and displacing thousands.

The raids were the latest in Israel's ongoing military escalation in the West Bank where at least 923 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 7,000 injured in attacks by the Israeli army and illegal settlers since the start of the onslaught against the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The International Court of Justice declared in July that Israel's long-standing occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal, demanding the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.