Israeli PM approves measures in West Bank after deadly shooting
Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had approved “offensive and defensive” measures in the Israeli-occupied West Bank following a deadly shooting attack.
In a statement released by his office on Monday, Netanyahu did not specify the details of the measures but said they included operations to apprehend the perpetrators and “a series of additional offensive and defensive actions.”
He noted that the decision followed “a situation assessment” with senior security officials, Xinhua news agency reported.
The attack, which took place near al-Funduq, a Palestinian village in the northeastern West Bank, involved gunmen opening fire from a vehicle on an Israeli bus and a private vehicle. Three Israelis — two women in their 70s and a policeman — were killed, and seven others were injured, according to Magen David Adom rescue service.
The suspects fled the scene, prompting an ongoing manhunt, the Israeli military said in a statement.
Israeli military troops and Shin Bet agents have been deployed in the area, preparing for potential revenge attacks by settlers and working to prevent settlers from reaching sensitive locations, Israel’s Ha’aretz newspaper reported.
In recent months, attacks by settler activists on Palestinian villages have increased, including incidents of arson and, in some cases, killings.
The shooting occurred amid escalating tensions in the occupied Palestinian territories, which Israel seized in the 1967 war, and as negotiators were meeting in Doha, Qatar, for renewed efforts to secure a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
Earlier Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a stern warning to Hezbollah , stating that if the armed group does not withdraw all forces north of the Litani River, Israel will break the ceasefire agreement.
The terms of the ceasefire mandate Hezbollah to pull its fighters and weapons north of the Litani River by January 26. By the same date, Israel must fully withdraw its forces south of the Blue Line, the United Nations-demarcated border between Lebanon and Israel, while the Lebanese army is to deploy forces to the area.
Speaking on Sunday during a visit to Israel’s Northern Command, Katz said Israel remains committed to enforcing the agreement. “Israel seeks to uphold the agreement in Lebanon,” he stated.
