(MENAFN) According to the Jerusalem Post, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have authorized the use of attack drones to execute Palestinian terrorist suspects in the West Bank. The order follows a brutal Israeli raid the day before, and the IDF is increasingly turning to robots to police the Palestinian territory.
Based on the publication, IDF commanders would be able to employ drones "to carry out strikes against armed individuals who have been recognized as presenting imminent threats to their forces." According to the source, senior commanders debated the doctrinal modification on Wednesday, with Chief of Staff General Aviv Kohavi signing off on the order.
Since 2008, Israel has utilized Elbit's Hermes 450 drones to carry out targeted executions in Gaza. These drones have been in production since the late 1990s but obtaining a detailed account of their deployment is difficult since Israel's military censorship has prohibited news on their use until recently.
According to the IDF, drones have never been deployed offensively over the West Bank. However, the decision to amend this policy came after four Palestinians were murdered and 44 others were injured during an early Wednesday raid on a refugee camp in Jenin. However, the IDF was considering drone kills as early as May, when an Israeli counter-terror commando was killed during a similar operation in Jenin, according to the Jerusalem Post.
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