HEBRON (Realist English). The Israeli military has launched what it described as a “large-scale” operation in Hebron, deploying hundreds of soldiers and heavy machinery across the southern districts of the occupied West Bank city, effectively paralysing daily life in the area.
In a joint statement on Monday, the Israel Defense Forces and the internal security service Shin Bet said the operation is focused on the Jebel Johar area and aims to “thwart terror infrastructure” and seize weapons. The army warned that the offensive would continue for “several days”.
Local journalists described a near-total lockdown. Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Montaser Nassar reported an intensive deployment of Israeli forces since dawn, including bulldozers and tracked armoured vehicles.
“The last time we saw this kind of armour in Hebron was during the second Intifada, during Operation Defensive Shield,” Nassar said, underlining the scale and symbolism of the operation.
Despite the army’s stated counterterrorism objectives, Nassar said troops were also installing new metal barriers and iron gates, suggesting a longer-term tightening of control. “What is happening appears to be a prelude to further dividing an already divided city,” he said.
Verified video footage showed Israeli forces sealing off the Tariq bin Ziyad roundabout with concrete blocks and earth mounds. The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that at least seven Palestinians were arrested during the raid.
The operation is taking place less than 500 metres from the Ibrahimi Mosque, amid recent Israeli steps to reduce Palestinian authority over the compound. Nassar noted that the raid followed a decision to bar the mosque’s director for 15 days and transfer administrative control of the site to the Israeli Civil Administration.
Since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza in October 2023, more than 1,080 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, around 11,000 injured and approximately 20,500 arrested, according to official Palestinian figures.
