Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Friday that Israel is preparing a massive military operation in Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank, on a scale not seen since the 1967 Six-Day War, after Palestinian terrorists killed two Israeli soldiers near Hebron, just four days before Israel’s national election.
Speaking after a security assessment, Netanyahu said the planned operation would be unprecedented in scope.
“The defense minister and I have overseen the planning of a very extensive IDF operation in Judea and Samaria — on a scale not seen since the Six-Day War,” he said.
“The IDF is ready to carry it out, and we will determine the timing, but it is coming.”
The announcement followed a deadly shooting at a temporary military checkpoint near Yehuda Junction outside Hebron, where two Palestinian terrorists opened fire on Israeli soldiers Friday morning.
The attack killed Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman, 23, of Ashkelon, and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem, 20, of Hod Hasharon, both members of the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) 775th Ari Battalion. Three additional soldiers were wounded.
Israeli forces killed both attackers following a firefight lasting more than 20 minutes.
The IDF’s preliminary investigation found that the terrorists apparently intended to attack Israeli civilians along a nearby highway but instead opened fire on soldiers after encountering the checkpoint.
The military said the attackers were carrying substantial quantities of ammunition, suggesting they had planned a larger assault.
Netanyahu said Israel would adopt the aggressive counterterrorism approach previously used against terrorist strongholds in West Bank refugee camps.
“We will evacuate the residents, go from house to house, remove the weapons there, and address and demolish all terrorist infrastructure,” he said.
The prime minister ordered security forces to seal off Hebron and prepare for a broader lockdown across Judea and Samaria, while the IDF deployed additional troops and launched arrest operations.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir confirmed that the military had reinforced the region with the headquarters of its 98th Division and additional forces.
“Based on the situational assessment, we prepared for the possibility of escalation in Judea and Samaria, reinforced our troops, and deployed the 98th Division headquarters and numerous additional troops to the area,” Zamir said.
Meanwhile, IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth announced that Israeli forces were launching a significant counterterrorism operation while cordoning off Hebron and nearby Halhul.
“A grave terror attack against Israeli civilians was thwarted” through the soldiers’ actions, Bluth said, while acknowledging the deaths of the two servicemen.
Israeli authorities also began demolishing unauthorized structures near Hebron, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announcing that heavy machinery was already operating in the area.
The military measures come ahead of Israel’s national election on Tuesday, October 27, amid warnings from Netanyahu and senior defense officials that hostile forces could attempt to carry out attacks during the final days of the campaign.
“We warned several weeks ago about attempts by our enemies to harm us, our civilians and our soldiers ahead of the elections,” Netanyahu said Friday. “That is what they tried to do here.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz also warned that Iran and its terrorist proxies were seeking to influence Tuesday’s election through attacks, although Israeli authorities have not established that Tehran directed Friday’s shooting.
Hamas praised the attack but did not formally claim responsibility, while Israeli security agencies continued investigating whether the two terrorists operated independently or were connected to a larger terrorist network.
Netanyahu has not announced when the broader offensive will begin, leaving the timing of what he described as Israel’s most extensive West Bank military operation since 1967 unresolved as the country heads into Tuesday’s national election.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
