Netanyahu orders Hebron seal and wide sweep after two soldiers killed

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a major military operation across the West Bank on Friday after a shooting attack near Hebron killed two soldiers. The Prime Minister instructed troops to cordon off the city of Hebron, which has more than 200,000 inhabitants, in response to the incident.

The Israeli military stated that two Palestinian men opened fire at a junction near Hebron. Forces at the scene killed the gunmen and later identified the dead soldiers as Staff Sergeant Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sergeant Yuval Shai Svilem. Three other soldiers sustained light wounds in the exchange. The army reported that an M16 rifle and a handgun were used in the attack.

Netanyahu said he ordered the evacuation of residents from the specific neighborhood where the gunmen lived. He directed a house-to-house search for weapons and said the first step would be to demolish the site. "Our first step will be to demolish this site and completely transform it," Netanyahu said. He added that the Israel Defense Forces would enter neighborhoods from which the attackers emerged and dismantle what he called the terror infrastructure.

The Prime Minister described the gunmen as Hamas terrorists. Hamas did not claim responsibility for the attack but called it heroic. The group said the shooting was a legitimate response to ongoing crimes against its people and land. Hamas also urged armed Palestinians in the West Bank to target Israeli soldiers and civilians.

The Israeli military said it began offensive counterterrorism operations in the Hebron area. Soldiers operated inside the homes of the attackers and other suspects. The army also reported arresting around 70 wanted Palestinians in West Bank operations over the past week. A large quantity of weapons and ammunition was found in the attackers' vehicle, which the military said indicated plans for a major attack on civilians.

The escalation comes days before Israel holds elections on Tuesday. Netanyahu has made national security a central theme of his campaign for another term. He characterized the shooting as an attempt to influence the vote, recalling a warning he issued weeks earlier that Israel's enemies were preparing attacks to sway the election. His Likud party said senior security chiefs were convened on Friday and that all campaign events for the rest of the day were canceled.

The attack followed a recent surge in violence in the West Bank. It also occurred after Brad Lander, a New York Democratic candidate for Congress, was briefly detained by Israeli forces this week. Lander was helping Palestinian farmers during the annual olive harvest at the time of his detention.