Israel is preparing to launch a large-scale military operation in the West Bank, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced.
He described it as the largest operation of its kind since the 1967 Six-Day War, during which Israel took control of the West Bank, then under Jordanian rule.
"Defense Minister Israel Katz and I oversaw the planning of a very large-scale IDF operation in Judea and Samaria [Israel’s designation for the West Bank]... The IDF is ready to carry it out. We will decide on the timing, but it will take place soon," Netanyahu said.
The PM has unveiled plans to tighten military policy towards the West Bank.
"We will evacuate residents, search house by house, seize weapons and destroy all terrorist infrastructure," Netanyahu said.
He made this statement after an attack by armed Palestinian radicals near the city of Hebron earlier on Friday, as a result of which five Israelis were wounded. The shooters were eliminated on the spot. After the incident, the Israeli military surrounded Hebron and began combing the area in search of possible accomplices. Netanyahu then announced his intention to isolate the West Bank.
