IDF Launches Counter-Terror Operation in Hebron After Fatal Attack

Following a deadly shooting attack near Hebron that claimed the lives of two IDF soldiers, Israeli security forces launched a counter-terrorism operation in the Hebron area overnight between Friday and Saturday. The operation, a joint effort by the IDF and Shin Bet, aims to locate and neutralize terrorist infrastructure and weapons, and to interrogate numerous suspects. The operation is focused on the area from which the two terrorists, identified as Hamas operatives, originated and is expected to last several days.

During the operation, residents in the area of activity will be allowed to leave through designated points after security checks. The terrorists had departed Hebron in a vehicle with Israeli license plates and were reportedly planning a larger attack. They were intercepted by IDF soldiers near a junkyard, leading to a prolonged 20-minute firefight in which the terrorists were killed. Sergeant Major Ron Yonatan Reitman, 23, from Ashkelon, and Sergeant Yuval Shai Suilam, 20, from Hod Hasharon, were killed in the exchange, and three other soldiers were lightly wounded.

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has ordered a reinforcement of forces in the Central Command and heightened readiness across all fronts, particularly concerning Iran, ahead of upcoming elections on Tuesday. A lockdown has been imposed on Hebron and several surrounding villages. The operation follows a weekend marked by documented instances of Jewish extremist violence in the West Bank, including the disruption of Palestinian olive harvests and attacks on harvesters, diplomats, and a Washington Post photographer, Heidi Levine, who was injured alongside Palestinians by settlers near Ramallah.