Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced Friday that the IDF is preparing for a major counterterrorism operation in Chevron, including the evacuation of residents, house-to-house searches, and the destruction of terrorist infrastructure in neighborhoods from which terrorists operate.

Netanyahu made the announcement during a visit to the scene of Friday morning’s terror attack near Tzomet Yehuda, accompanied by Defense Minister Yisrael Katz.

The prime minister said Israel would implement the same aggressive operational strategy previously used against terrorist strongholds in refugee camps, expanding those tactics into residential neighborhoods within Palestinian cities.

“We are going to implement the successful offensive model we used in the refugee camps inside the cities,” Netanyahu declared.

He explained that IDF troops would enter the Chevron neighborhood from which the terrorists responsible for Friday’s attack originated, evacuate residents, conduct house-to-house searches, destroy terrorist infrastructure, and confiscate weapons.

Netanyahu also revealed that the IDF is preparing for a much broader operation throughout Yehuda and Shomron, potentially on a scale not seen in decades.

“The defense minister and I have reviewed a very extensive IDF operation in Yehuda and Shomron, the likes of which has not been carried out since the Six-Day War,” Netanyahu said. “We are ready to carry it out, and we will determine the timing.”

The prime minister said security forces have already imposed closures on Chevron and Halhul, while officials are examining whether to expand the new operational approach to additional Palestinian cities.

He also announced plans to accelerate the removal of illegal structures along major roads in Yehuda and Shomron as part of efforts to improve security.

Addressing Jewish residents of the region, Netanyahu pledged to continue strengthening Jewish communities while dismantling terrorist infrastructure.

“We will destroy the terrorist infrastructure and build the infrastructure of settlement, with more than 100 new communities and farms that we are legalizing,” he said.

Defense Minister Katz, who joined Netanyahu at the scene, warned that Iran and its regional allies are attempting to destabilize Israel ahead of Tuesday’s Knesset elections.

“The Iranian Shiite axis and its proxies, along with the Muslim Brotherhood axis, are planning attacks against IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians in order to disrupt and influence the upcoming elections,” Katz said.

He praised the soldiers who confronted the terrorists, saying their actions prevented a potentially devastating attack against civilians.

“IDF soldiers heroically thwarted an attempt by a Hamas cell from Chevron to carry out a large-scale deadly attack today,” Katz declared.

“The terrorists and those who sent them will pay a very heavy price.”

Katz emphasized that Israel would use whatever measures are necessary to protect residents of Yehuda and Shomron.

“We are determined to ensure the security of Israeli residents in Yehuda and Shomron, and we will do so by all means necessary,” he said.

The announcements mark a significant potential shift in Israeli counterterrorism operations, with the government preparing to expand tactics previously used in refugee camps into densely populated urban neighborhoods.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)