Israel launches anti-terror operation in West Bank after deadly Hebron shooting
Israel has launched an anti-terror operation in the West Bank and sealed off Hebron after two Israeli soldiers were killed in a shooting attack at a checkpoint near the city, days before a national election.
Israel has launched an anti-terror operation in the occupied West Bank and ordered an immediate cordon around the city of Hebron after two Israeli soldiers were killed in a shooting attack. The Israeli military said the operation is part of a broader security effort that the government described as the most intense military campaign in the territory in decades.
According to the Israeli military, Staff Sergeant Ron Yonatan Roytman, 23, and Sergeant Yuval Shai Svilem, 20, were killed in the attack. Three other Israelis were wounded before the two suspected gunmen were shot dead. The attackers were identified by Palestinian reports and Israeli security officials as 27-year-old Hebron residents, Mohammad Jaaba and Firas Jaaba, who were members of the same family, though their exact relationship remains unclear. Israeli media and the military reported that the clash between the gunmen and troops lasted more than 20 minutes at the Judea Junction on Route 35 near Hebron. The military also said the attackers were armed with an M16 rifle and a handgun, and that a large quantity of ammunition was found in their car, which the army said indicated a planned mass shooting.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the army and security forces to impose an immediate cordon on Hebron and to prepare for a full lockdown of the occupied West Bank. He said the cordon would also extend to the nearby city of Halhul and that Israel would consider applying the same model to other cities. Netanyahu said soldiers would go house to house in areas the attackers were believed to come from, evacuate residents and destroy what he called terrorist infrastructure, while infrastructure for settlement would be built. Photographs from Hebron showed Israeli bulldozers demolishing at least one Palestinian building. Netanyahu also threatened to broaden the offensive to a scale unlike any seen since the Six-Day War.
The attack comes just days before Israel's election, which will determine whether Netanyahu can keep his hold on power. Coverage has noted that the vote centers on the prime minister's handling of security issues, and that it is the first Israeli election since the security failures that preceded the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023. Netanyahu, who is running for re-election, also called for all political meetings to be cancelled. The IDF chief vowed to pursue everyone involved in the attack.
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