Israel says whoever shoots Israelis will be target of army

By Abdelraouf Arna'out

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned Tuesday that the army will target anyone opening fire on Israelis.

The warning came following a meeting between Gantz, army chief Aviv Kochavi and head of the Israeli General Security Service, Ronen Bar, to assess the situation in the occupied West Bank.

"Whoever wants to shoot at Israelis will be a target for the army," he said in a statement on his Twitter account.

The Israeli army escalated its operations in the occupied West Bank in recent weeks, triggering clashes with Palestinians in which dozens were killed.

According to Palestinian figures, more than 140 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds injured by Israeli army fire in the West Bank since the beginning of this year.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar