Netanyahu Announces New IDF Operations Strategy in Hebron

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will adopt a new operational method in a Hebron neighborhood from which terrorists recently emerged. This strategy, modeled after operations in refugee camps, involves evacuating residents, conducting house-to-house searches, and dismantling terror infrastructure. Netanyahu stated that this approach could be expanded to other cities in the West Bank.

"We are going to implement the successful and aggressive model we used in the refugee camps, which are essentially terror strongholds," Netanyahu said during a visit to Hebron. "This is exactly what we will do here within the neighborhood in Hebron from which the terrorists emerged. We will evacuate the residents, we will go house by house, we will find weapons there, and all terror infrastructure will be dealt with and destroyed."

In addition to the new operational strategy, Netanyahu announced further measures in the Hebron area, including a lockdown on the city of Hebron and the town of Dura. He also indicated that the government would accelerate the demolition of illegal structures along roadways, which he claimed pose a threat to security forces. "We will clear the illegal structures along the routes at an accelerated pace. This threatens our forces," he stated.

Netanyahu referenced an incident where IDF soldiers were injured while confronting terrorists, linking it to recent warnings of enemy attempts to harm Israelis ahead of elections. He praised the soldiers for their bravery in stopping and eliminating the attackers. The Prime Minister also revealed that the IDF is preparing for a potentially large-scale military operation in the West Bank, though a decision on its timing has not yet been made. "The IDF is ready to carry it out, and we will determine the timing, but it is on the way," he said.

Alongside security measures, Netanyahu affirmed the government's commitment to continued settlement construction in the West Bank, stating, "We will destroy terror infrastructure and we will build settlement infrastructure." He mentioned plans to advance the construction and regulation of over one hundred new settlements and more than one hundred outposts, addressing settlers and calling them a model for the Israeli people.