Fatah defectors have formed a new pro-Hamas terrorist group in the West Bank. debkafile reports that Israeli forces have mounted an operation to destroy the leadership of the Martyr Abu Amar (Yasser Arafat) Brigades before it carries out mass suicide attacks against Israeli cities.

It seems Hamas made a deft move against Fatah in the midst of the ongoing Palestinian factional fighting by successfully infiltrating Fatah’s West Bank strongholds. More than 40 percent of the members of Fatah’s military wing, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, in the West Bank have revolted against Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas and his senior military adviser. The new group, specializing in suicide bombings, takes its orders from senior Hamas leaders in Gaza, while also reporting to Hezbollah. The group also receives explosive supplies and funding from Hezbollah.

Apparently, Israel stood by while this happened. debkafile reported Wednesday:

The result, our counter-terror experts report, is a Hamas launching pad on the West Bank, previously controlled by Fatah, for a mass suicide bombing offensive against central Israel, projected by the Iran-backed Hamas as the next stage of its missile campaign from Gaza. The new Martyr Abu Amar Brigades have been given orders to gear up to stage multiple suicide truck bombings, Iraq style, in Israel’s main cities.

“It affords Hamas a prime strategic asset for escalating its violent campaign against Israel,” debkafile reports, citing Israeli military and intelligence sources as saying the new group is extremely dangerous.

The Fatah mutiny has awarded Hamas strike force and terrorist networks stretching from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip to Jenin in the northern West Bank. It is described by Israeli security sources as the gravest terrorist threat Israel has faced since its 2002 Defensive Wall operation broke Arafat’s terrorist infrastructure.

Though several high-profile Fatah defectors have already been captured by Israeli forces, including the son of one of the co-founders of Fatah’s terrorist wing, debkafile reports that the revolt, instigated by Hamas and backed by Hezbollah, is spreading.

Israel should hardly be surprised. This is precisely what Palestinian terrorists have threatened to do from the time Israel vacated Gaza: to take the fight to the West Bank to claim Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state.

Hezbollah’s support of the new pro-Hamas terrorist group is also worth noting—particularly in light of Hezbollah‘s success in its war against Israel last year, and its current preparations for a future offensive. With evidence mounting of cooperation between Hamas and Hezbollah, both taking their cues from Iran, Israel should indeed be worried. Could the Jews soon face a three-front war in a battle over Jerusalem?