Two Israeli Soldiers Killed in West Bank Attack; PM Vows Demolition
Translated & summarized from Zman Yisrael by baba
Two Israeli soldiers, Sergeant First Class Ron Yonatan Reitman and Sergeant Yuval Shai Suilam, were killed in a shooting attack at a checkpoint near Hebron. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to demolish the neighborhood from which the attackers came, implementing a model used in refugee camps. The IDF Commander of the Central Command announced a significant operation to thwart terror in the Hebron area. The Defense Minister warned of a coordinated effort by Iran-aligned groups to disrupt upcoming Israeli elections.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Two Israeli soldiers killed in a shooting attack near Hebron.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu vows to demolish the attackers' neighborhood in Hebron.
- IDF Commander announces significant operation against terror in Hebron area.
- Defense Minister warns of coordinated terror attacks to disrupt Israeli elections.
- Three other soldiers were wounded in the Hebron checkpoint attack.
Two Israeli soldiers, Sergeant First Class Ron Yonatan Reitman, 23, from Ashkelon, and Sergeant Yuval Shai Suilam, 20, from Hod Hasharon, were killed in a shooting attack at a checkpoint near Hebron in the West Bank on Tuesday. Both soldiers served in the 775th Battalion of the Home Front Command's Rescue and Relief Brigade. Reitman was a squad commander. Three other soldiers from the same battalion were lightly and moderately wounded in the attack.
Commander of the Central Command, Major General Avi Bluth, stated that the "serious terror attack against Israeli civilians was thwarted this morning thanks to the bravery of IDF soldiers." He added, "Unfortunately, we paid a heavy price during the encounter, and two soldiers fell in battle. The IDF is the protector of Israeli citizens." Bluth announced that the IDF is launching a significant operation to thwart terror and imposing a closure on the Hebron and Dura areas, vowing to hold all terrorists accountable and dismantle terror infrastructure.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting Hebron with Defense Minister Israel Katz, declared that Israel would demolish the neighborhood in Hebron from which the attackers emerged. "We will act first and foremost to destroy this place, to change it completely. But to do something that has not been done before, we are going to implement the successful and aggressive model we used in the refugee camps which are essentially fortresses of terror," Netanyahu said in a video released by his office. He explained that residents would be evacuated, homes searched for weapons, and all terror infrastructure dealt with and destroyed, similar to operations in Jenin refugee camp.
Netanyahu also indicated that the army has plans for a broad operation in the West Bank, the largest since Israel captured the territory in 1967, stating, "The IDF is ready to carry it out and we will determine the timing, but it is on its way." He praised Israeli "heroic settlers" ahead of the upcoming Knesset elections.
Defense Minister Israel Katz echoed the sentiment, stating that the attack was part of a broader plan by the "Shia axis of Iran and its proxies, and also the Muslim Brotherhood axis" to carry out attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians to disrupt the upcoming elections. Meanwhile, the acting Director General of the Elections Committee, Dean Livna, informed election lists of a Supreme Court ruling prohibiting poll workers and observers from digitally reporting real-time voter numbers from polling stations to their parties on election day.
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