Netanyahu vows large-scale West Bank operation, starting with expulsion of Palestinians in Hebron

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said a large-scale military operation in the occupied West Bank is “on the way”, after two Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack in Hebron on Friday. Speaking in Hebron later on Friday, Netanyahu said he and Defence Minister Israel Katz were considering an army operation in the West Bank on a scale not seen since Israel occupied the territory in 1967. The Israeli army “is ready to execute it and we will set the timing, but it is on the way”, he said. Visiting the site of the attack with his right-wing allies, Netanyahu added that the first phase would involve forced displacement of Palestinians in Hebron, searching homes and destroying what he called “terrorist infrastructure”. Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir, who also visited the scene, said troops would “act forcefully, pursue and reach all those involved in the attack”. “We are at the highest level of readiness and alert across all fronts,” Zamir said, according to The Times of Israel. He added that the army would not be “drawn in” by its enemies during what he called a “sensitive week”, referring to the election. Following the attack in Hebron earlier on Friday, Israeli forces killed the two Palestinians in an exchange of fire that also wounded six Israeli soldiers.