Israel told the US about Monday's Jenin operation a week in advance, Israel Hayom has learned. Moreover, it made sure to explain to officials in Washington that the operation would be limited to Jenin in order to rout the terrorist hotbeds there.
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This is the reason the US has yet to condemn the IDF activity. Israel has also pledged to carry out the operation in a surgical manner – similar to past raids – to avoid harming noncombatants as much as possible.
Because the operation has been defined as a small-scale incursion, there was no need to convene the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet and get a green light, allowing the exact timing of the operation to be kept under wraps until the forces left for Jenin.
Those who were involved in the preparation of the activity were, of course, the heads of the security establishment, who believed that the time had come to act in Jenin, which had become a kind of "sanctuary city" for terrorists. They got the backing of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Recent events in Jenin, in which IDF vehicles were attacked with sophisticated improvised explosive devices, were a significant catalyst for the IDF's activity in the city, with officials determined to act in order to prevent the terrorists from building on their know-how
Along with the activity in Jenin, Israel is also preparing for possible escalation on the northern border as well as in Gaza. Israeli officials have stressed that there are no plans to get involved in an extensive Defensive Shield-like campaign.
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