IDF Imposes Hebron Blockade After Yehuda Junction Terror Attack Kills Two
IDF imposed a blockade on Hebron and launched a counter-terror operation following a deadly shooting at Yehuda Junction that killed two soldiers and wounded three others.
IDF forces imposed a full blockade on Hebron on Friday and prepared for a general closure across Judea and Samaria following a severe terror attack at the Yehuda Junction that killed two Home Front Command soldiers. Central Command Chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth visited the scene, stating that the military is launching a sweeping counter-terrorism operation to destroy infrastructure and bring the perpetrators to justice.
The deadly shootout erupted on Friday morning near Route 35, when two armed Hamas-affiliated terrorists arrived in a vehicle heavily loaded with ammunition at a military checkpoint and opened fire. Soldiers from the Aryeh Battalion returned fire, engaging in a 20-minute gunfight until backup arrived and neutralized both attackers. Sgt. Maj. Ron Jonathan Roytman from Ashkelon and Sgt. Yuval Shai Suilem from Hod HaSharon were killed in action, while three other soldiers sustained light-to-moderate injuries.
In response to the escalation, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the immediate establishment of four new outposts in the southern Hebron Hills. Concurrently, the Civil Administration began demolishing illegal structures near the site, while settlers organized to occupy the new sites ahead of the Sabbath. The military also instituted comprehensive vehicle inspections for Palestinian transport across the Central Command to prevent copycat attacks.
