Netanyahu, Katz direct IDF to target senior PA officials in 'all-out war' on West Bank terror

Defense minister orders launch of ‘all-out war against senior Palestinian Authority officials and mechanisms’ • Statement comes after Israeli wounded in stabbing attack near KusraFollow us on GooglePrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz seen in the Knesset plenum, December 16, 2024(photo credit: CHAIM GOLDBERG/FLASH90)SEPTEMBER 7, 2026 12:40Updated: SEPTEMBER 7, 2026 13:18Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have directed the IDF to target senior Palestinian Authority (PA) officials in an "all-out war" on terrorism in the West Bank."Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I instructed the IDF to prepare to launch an all-out war against senior officials and mechanisms of the [Palestinian] Authority, the bodies associated with them, and against all terrorist infrastructure in Judea and Samaria - in order to quickly bring about their complete defeat," Katz said.The Monday statement followed the West Bank terror stabbing attack at Maoz Yehuda Farm near Kusra that left one moderately to seriously wounded. “No terrorist can hide," Netanyahu said in a separate statement. "I commend our heroic fighters who engaged the enemy and eliminated the terrorist who carried out the attack in Samaria. I wish a complete recovery to the farm owner who was wounded in the attack.""We will continue to eliminate terrorists, hunt down those who dispatch them, and destroy the terrorist infrastructure in Judea and Samaria. Anyone who tries to threaten the State of Israel and its citizens will pay a heavy price.”A Palestinian police officer sitting in a vehicle keeps guard, in Jenin in the West Bank, July 12, 2023 (credit: REUTERS/RANEEN SAWAFTA) IDF launches exercises testing military readiness on all frontsSince Sunday, the IDF has launched several exercises to test combat readiness in case of an October 7-style attack on several fronts, including the surprise Operation Dawn 2.0 and Operations Advancing the Wall and Southern Wind in the Eilat area and along Israel's western border.The situation in the West Bank is particularly volatile.On Sunday, troops from the Menashe Brigade operated in the village of Aqaba in northern Samaria. During the operation, a rocket and weapons were discovered, including an M16 rifle and large quantities of explosives intended for the production of bombs.Sunday's operation followed a series of foiled attacks in recent days in the West Bank, including the arrest on Friday of a five-member terrorist cell in the Qabatiya area.A rifle and ammunition were found in the cell's possession, and the assessment was that its members were preparing to carry out a major attack in the northern West Bank.Avi Ashkenazi contributed to this report.Follow us on Google