Israel locks down Hebron after two soldiers killed, Netanyahu says major offensive being prepared days before election

Two Israeli soldiers were killed and three lightly wounded in a gunfight near Hebron's Yehuda Junction on Friday; the two Palestinian attackers, armed with an M16 rifle and a handgun, were also killed. The military and Shin Bet locked down Hebron, going house to house and allowing residents to leave only through three checkpoints after questioning, and Prime Minister Netanyahu said Israel was preparing what he described as the West Bank's largest operation since the 1967 war. The lockdown comes four days before Tuesday's Israeli election, widely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu's leadership since the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack.

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