Netanyahu Vows Unprecedented West Bank Operation After Deadly Attack

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday a large-scale operation in the West Bank following a deadly attack near the Junction of Hebron. Speaking from the scene, Netanyahu declared that the model of clearing refugee camps of terror infrastructure and residents would be expanded to Arab cities in the West Bank. He stated that a significant attack, planned to coincide with the elections, was thwarted by IDF soldiers who neutralized the terrorists. "Our soldiers not only stopped the terrorists but also bravely charged and eliminated them," Netanyahu said. He further vowed to "destroy this place" and "change it completely" in Hebron, specifically targeting a neighborhood from which the terrorists originated. "We will evacuate the residents, we will go house by house, we will remove weapons there, and all terror infrastructure will be dealt with and destroyed," he stated, adding that a siege would be imposed on Hebron and Dura. The Prime Minister indicated that the scope of the operation, which he described as a deep treatment of terror, had not yet been determined but could be extended to other cities. He also mentioned that the IDF was prepared for a broad operation in the West Bank, the likes of which had not been seen since the Six-Day War, with the timing to be determined. Netanyahu praised Israeli settlers as a "bulwark" and a "model for the people of Israel," vowing to destroy terror infrastructure while simultaneously building new settlements and farms. "We will destroy terror infrastructure and we will establish more and more settlements," he concluded.