Why is Israel launching a new military operation in the occupied West Bank?

The Israeli military launched a major operation in the Hebron area of the occupied West Bank after an attack at a checkpoint on Friday killed two Israeli soldiers; the two suspected Palestinian gunmen were shot dead. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a full lockdown of the West Bank and said forces would conduct house-to-house searches in the suspects’ neighbourhood, with demolitions and forced displacement planned. The campaign, involving the military, police and other security agents, is expected to last several days and extend to dozens of other areas; at least 15 towns had been raided by Saturday morning. Israeli rights group B’Tselem condemned the planned offensive as collective punishment and warned that it could involve war crimes.