By Ali Sawafta JENIN, West Bank (Reuters) -Israeli bulldozers have demolished large areas of the now virtually empty Jenin refugee camp and appear to be carving wide roadways through its once-crowded warren of alleyways,

The Israel Defense Force confirmed Sunday that it has deployed tanks to the West Bank as it expands counter-terrorism operations in Jenin.

Associated Press journalists saw a handful of tanks move Sunday into Jenin, long a bastion of armed struggle against Israel.

Israel stationed tanks outside Jenin refugee camp on Monday (February 24), one day after tanks were sent into the Israeli-occupied West Bank for the first time in more than 20 years.

Israeli army has been conducting military operations in northern West Bank since Jan. 21, killing at least 61 Palestinians, displacing thousands - Anadolu Ajansı

Palestinian militants said on Monday that an unusual deployment of Israeli tanks in the occupied West Bank, part of a major offensive that has displaced tens of thousands, may be a step toward annexation.

Israel says the move is to take on militants implanted in refugee camps but Palestinians accuse troops of permanently displacing the population.

A month-long sweep for Palestinian militants in the northern West Bank could continue for a year, Israel’s defense minister said, adding that residents who fled will be barred from returning and that a contested UN relief agency’s work there will be halted.