RAMALLAH, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli army has launched a large-scale military operation in the city of Hebron in the southern West Bank, Palestinian and Israeli sources said Monday.
Palestinian security sources and eyewitnesses told Xinhua that Israeli forces imposed a closure on several neighborhoods in southern Hebron and blocked a number of secondary roads using iron gates, concrete blocks, and earth mounds.
According to the sources, Israeli forces also set up multiple military checkpoints at the entrances to Hebron, as well as to its surrounding towns, villages, and refugee camps.
Amani Sarahneh, spokesperson for the Palestinian Prisoners Club, a non-governmental organization, told Xinhua that Israeli forces have arrested seven people from Hebron since the start of the operation, including a child.
Israeli media outlets reported that the Israeli army, in coordination with the domestic security agency Shin Bet, the police, and the border police, launched the operation overnight to "combat terrorism" in Hebron.
The operation is expected to continue for several days, during which explosions may be heard and increased troop activity observed, reports said.
Israeli Channel 12 reported that hundreds of soldiers, along with special forces units, were deployed to Hebron as part of an ongoing operation aimed at seizing weapons.
The West Bank has seen an escalation in violence since Oct. 7, 2023, coinciding with the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip. ■
