Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced a large-scale military operation in the occupied West Bank following an attack that killed two Israeli soldiers, according to Le Monde.fr. He also said residents would be evacuated, Le Figaro reports.
Netanyahu directed that preparations be made to seal off the West Bank, Mediapart reports. The announcements came as several French outlets described a sharp escalation in the territory, with 20 Minutes publishing an explainer on what is known about the attack and the ensuing military activity.
The timing is significant: the HuffPost notes the attack occurred five days before elections in Israel. The reported death toll from the attack is two, and the outlets' coverage centers on the soldiers killed and the Israeli response that followed.
Le Monde.fr's headline frames the operation as a direct response to the soldiers' deaths. Le Figaro quotes Netanyahu saying inhabitants will be evacuated, though the reporting summarized here does not specify which areas or how many people would be affected.
Details remain limited in the available reporting, including the location and circumstances of the attack and the scope of the planned operation. Further reporting from the outlets cited is expected as the situation develops.