Since 5 March 2018, Israeli troops including infantry, tanks and other armored vehicles have been training during the day and night in the area of Khirbet al-Malih and the village of al-Farisiyah in the northern Jordan Valley. The troops train with live fire on pastureland, preventing Palestinian residents from accessing the land.
Today, 13 March, exercises began at 3:00 A.M., including at least 20 tanks and dozens of military vehicles in various areas throughout the northern Jordan Valley, including just one kilometer from homes in the village of al-Farisiyah. In the town of Tubas, residents reported hearing loud shelling. Last night, Civil Administration officials notified 16 families from Khirbet Ibziq by phone who were previously ordered to vacate their homes today, that the military exercise has been delayed. The incessant military training in the Jordan Valley is part of a longstanding policy to drive Palestinian communities to leave, as though of their own free will.