TEL AVIV [MENL] -- Israel's military brass expects that the West Bank would become the next arena in a resurgence of the Palestinian war against Israel.

Senior military officers said Palestinian insurgency groups, supported by Iran, Hizbullah and Syria, have sought to deploy heavy weapons into the West Bank for attacks against Israeli communities both in the area as well as within the pre-1967 borders of the Jewish state. They said the military and security services believe the ruling Fatah movement along with the opposition Hamas smuggled the first Palestinian missiles into the West Bank in early 2005.

"The terrorists won't quit after the disengagement," a senior officer said. "Their goal is to introduce the same kind of weapons and the same attacks that have taken place in the Gaza Strip over the last three years."

The officers said Hizbullah has become the major impetus of the Palestinian insurgency in the West Bank. They said Hizbullah has helped train key operatives, provide sabotage expertise and technology as well as financed attacks.