Netanyahu says extensive West Bank military operation 'on the way'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of a large-scale military operation in the occupied West Bank during a visit to Hebron, following an attack in which two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others at a checkpoint near the city.

The attackers were killed in a shootout with Israeli forces. Netanyahu said Israeli forces would evacuate residents from the attackers’ neighbourhood, conduct house-to-house searches, seize weapons and destroy alleged militant infrastructure.

He also announced a security cordon around Hebron and Halhul and said a broader military operation was being prepared, potentially on a scale not seen since the 1967 Six-Day War. The warning came days before Israeli elections.