Katz Threatens War on the Authority: Airstrikes, Ground Assaults, Targeting Officials, and Widespread Evacuations in the West Bank

Ramallah - Afaq News - Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said today, Tuesday, that the Israeli army is preparing for a scenario of military confrontation with the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, discussing a plan that includes a wide-ranging attack in the event that Palestinian security forces use their weapons against settlers or Israeli soldiers.

Galant's statements came during a meeting of the Israeli government, where he said that the army has been ordered to prepare for what he described as a "reference scenario" that includes the possibility of attacks on settlers and army forces in the West Bank and adjacent areas.

According to Galant, the scenario also includes the possibility that security forces affiliated with the Palestinian Authority, along with armed groups linked to it, may direct their weapons against Israelis.

Ground and Air Operation

Galant stated that if this scenario materializes, Israel will declare war on the Palestinian Authority, and the Israeli army will launch a "comprehensive attack" according to a plan prepared by the security establishment and approved by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Galant.

He explained that the operation, according to the plan he discussed, will be "short and powerful," and will include the use of ground and air forces and special military means, in addition to targeting senior officials and destroying weapons, equipment, and infrastructure that Israel describes as linked to armed operations.

The Israeli minister also spoke about a wide evacuation of residents from the areas where the operations will take place, and the destruction of what he described as "infrastructure" within the cities and refugee camps in the West Bank.

Katz indicated that the plan is based, according to him, on models of Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, with reinforcement of forces and protection of Israeli settlements.