Netanyahu orders Hebron cordon after West Bank attack kills two soldiers
Israeli premier orders military to seal off Hebron and evacuate a neighborhood after gunmen killed two soldiers, CBS News reports; broader operation promised.
The story in focus
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to cordon off Hebron after two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers at a junction near the West Bank city, CBS News reported. The military said it killed the gunmen; Netanyahu said a wider operation would follow.
- Two Israeli soldiers were killed and three lightly injured in a shooting near Hebron, the Israeli military said.
- The military said forces killed both Palestinian gunmen and found weapons and ammunition in their vehicle.
- Netanyahu said he ordered Hebron cordoned off and residents evacuated from the gunmen's neighborhood ahead of a house-to-house weapons sweep.
Attack and military response
Two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a junction near Hebron, killing two Israeli soldiers and lightly injuring three others, the Israeli military said. The military identified the dead soldiers as Staff Sergeant Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sergeant Yuval Shai Svilem, and said its forces killed both attackers.
The military said a large quantity of weapons and ammunition was found in the attackers' vehicle and alleged the pair planned a major attack on civilians. It said they used an M16 rifle and a handgun. The military also said it launched offensive counterterrorism operations in the Hebron area and arrested about 70 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank in the past week.
Netanyahu's announced operation
Netanyahu said he ordered the IDF to cordon off Hebron, a city of more than 200,000 inhabitants, and to evacuate residents from the neighborhood where the gunmen lived before a house-to-house sweep for weapons. He said a broader military operation would follow, describing preparations for an extensive campaign in the territory.
He said the first step would be to demolish the site and transform it, and called the gunmen Hamas terrorists. Hamas called the attack heroic and a legitimate response, but stopped short of claiming responsibility, CBS News reported. The escalation comes before Israeli elections on Tuesday, with national security central to Netanyahu's campaign.
What did Netanyahu order after the Hebron shooting?
He ordered the military to cordon off Hebron and evacuate the gunmen's neighborhood ahead of a house-to-house weapons sweep, and said a broader operation would follow, CBS News reported.
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