‘Operation Shield and Arrow’ seeks to reestablish Israeli deterrence
The Israeli Air Force surprised Palestinian Islamic Jihad early on Tuesday with a series of strikes and targeted assassinations in the Gaza Strip.
An Israeli Air Force helicopter during a Sept. 2022 training exercise. Photo by the IDF Spokesperson
The move represents an effort by Israel to reestablish deterrence after PIJ fired 104 rockets and terrorised southern Israeli residents on May 2 and 3 in response to the death of 45-year-old PIJ Israeli security prisoner Khader Adnan, who had been on a three-month hunger strike.
Maj. Nir Dinar, head of the IDF’s International Press Department, told the Tazpit Press Service that “Operation Shield and Arrow” sends the message that Israel will not tolerate a situation in which PIJ feels it can launch mass attacks on its civilians at will.
Israel is also seeking to differentiate between Hamas and PIJ—just as it did in its 2022 “Operation Breaking Dawn” and in the 2019 “Operation Black Belt.” During those operations, Hamas left PIJ, which had decided to escalate attacks on Israeli targets, to face the consequences on its own.
A key question going forward is whether Hamas will act in the same manner now.
Dinar noted that the Iranian-funded PIJ is a proxy of Tehran and said that all of the PIJ operatives targeted in “Operation Shield and Arrow” had recently engaged in terrorist activity. They had also been planning attacks on Israelis in the near future, including in Judea and Samaria, he added.
He described PIJ’s presence in Judea and Samaria as “significant,” noting that it has attempted to launch many terror attacks, some of which have been successful.
The IDF is investigating reports of civilian deaths due to “Operation Shield and Arrow,” including those of family members of the targeted terrorists, said Dinar, adding that the military regrets the deaths of any noncombatants.
The operation had dealt a “severe” blow to the Gaza-based terror group, said Dinar.
“The IDF will choose when and how to retaliate … we won’t be subject to PIJ’s formulas,” he stated.
The Israeli military has declared a special situation in the home front and called on all civilians to be attentive to instructions from the Home Front Command.
Report from Yaakov Lappin/TPS
this is great their fighting back rather than to just let them attack Israel when they want to.as they did all along.