Netanyahu orders 'wide-scale' military offensive in occupied West Bank villages

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz have ordered the army to launch a "wide-scale military operation" in Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank. In a joint statement, they also instructed the army to demolish the home of a Palestinian accused of carrying out a shooting attack near Tell.

Raids and Settler Attacks

A large Israeli military force raided the city of Nablus after a security incident near the illegal Havat Gilad settlement killed two Israeli soldiers and injured three others. Following the announcement, Israeli settlers attacked the nearby Palestinian villages of Sarra and Urif, setting fire to homes and vandalising property. Palestinian residents confronted them with stones.

Earlier Killings

Earlier Friday, four Palestinians were killed and four others injured in an attack by Israeli forces and settlers on Tell, southwest of Nablus. The violence comes amid escalating tensions across the occupied West Bank.