For the first time in almost two decades, Israeli security officials used drones to target – and kill – Palestinian militants in the West Bank. Targeted in a moving car, the three men were said to be part of Palestinian Islamic Jihad and responsible for a recent series of shootings against Israeli Jews. This comes after Israel used a helicopter in a similar strike in the northern West Bank earlier this week.
The use of targeted assassinations implies that Israel is getting more serious about cracking down on militant groups inside the West Bank, using a tactic usually reserved for Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, with whom Israel has fought several wars in recent years.
This comes amid a massive flare-up in the West Bank this week that has seen six Palestinians killed in Jenin in a raid carried out by Israeli troops, and four Israelis shot at a hummus joint and gas station in the West Bank. Indeed, this led to Jewish extremist reprisal attacks against a Palestinian village.
Moving forward, PIJ will come under immense pressure, particularly from its Iranian patrons, to respond forcefully. Meanwhile, PM Benjamin Netanyahu will come under similar pressure from his far-right coalition partners to launch a full-blown military operation in the West Bank.