The commander summarized recent intense operations in the area, where Palestinian villages are close to Israeli communities, complicating the challenges facing the IDF.
The commander of the 101st Battalion of the IDF Parachute Brigade revealed the complexity of the West Bank operation in an interview Walla Published on Friday.
The commander is called a lieutenant colonel. R. summarized a tense recent period of operations in an area where the distance between Palestinian villages and Israeli communities is nothing like the conditions faced by Gaza or Lebanese soldiers.
When asked what was the biggest challenge for him in the field, he responded, “In the Gaza Strip and in Lebanon, the boundaries of the field are clear.”
“You know what your critical assets are, you know what you need to defend against, you know where the enemy is, and you know where you are,” he continued. “How do you protect so many communities over such a large area in the West Bank?”
He added that as a battalion commander, he was responsible for a large territory of 20 kilometers by 20 kilometers. “The closest company commander to battalion headquarters is 40 minutes away,” he said. “In Gaza, if one of your subordinates encounters a terrorist, you’re on his side within a minute. I’ve been in a lot of situations, and in the West Bank, it’s different. You have to protect a lot of important assets.”
On November 14, 2025, the Israel Defense Forces arrested two terrorists in the West Bank during a counterterrorism operation. (Image source: Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson Unit)
‘This is no more complicated than attacking deep in Lebanon’
According to Lt. Cmdr. R., “This is a challenge no less than an attack deep in Lebanon.”
“So, how do you protect so many critical assets over such a large area? You need every unit to act like a battalion commander in the field. You have no choice – you have to trust it. Think about the fact that even for a company commander, it can take 15 minutes to get to an incident in his area.”
In the past two months, the battalion has carried out 4 operations, killing 2 terrorists and capturing 26 suspects of terrorist activities.
In addition, the battalion recently conducted an operation and captured 40 wanted criminals overnight.
During another operation in the village of Kafr Aqab, Lieutenant Colonel R. recalled, “The whole battalion walked four kilometers through the village. It showed governance. It sent a message.”
Lieutenant Colonel R. described another incident in which terrorists attempted an attack in the settlement of Atret. “The militants were near the entrance to the community. The patrol that arrived there within three minutes encountered the terrorist and killed him. Another terrorist tried to move towards the farm – he was also killed.”
Asked how the situation in the West Bank is now compared to what it was in the past, and whether it is more or less volatile, Lieutenant Colonel R. said that this “is not the West Bank.” [he] Know it from the past. “
Elaborating on the changing atmosphere, he said, “Entering the Balata, Askar and Jenin refugee camps today is not the same as before. In the past, we would enter with large forces, but today, troops commanded by squad leaders or platoon leaders make arrests in Kasbah, Nablus,” claiming that “today, the IDF has freedom of movement.”