Israeli settlers attacked West Bank villages and allegedly torched two mosques as deadly violence escalated, prompting a major Israeli security response.

Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villages in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Sunday and set fire to two mosques, officials said amid a rise in deadly violence in the region that killed four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers.

The violence comes as Israeli opposition and Palestinians accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of ignoring the reported attacks by settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The attacks threaten to trigger broader violence across the territory.

 Israeli soldiers operate in the West Bank Palestinians city of Nablus. (AP Photo)

Security crackdown after mosque arson

After the two mosques were burned down, Israeli soldiers and police spread across the West Bank and shut major roads that blocked access to the hospital, where it was reported that two militants were hiding, AP reported. Israeli authorities have arrested about 70 Palestinians in an attempt to contain the violence in the area.

 Children stand outside a mosque that was burned during an attack by Israeli settlers early in the morning in the West Bank village of Qusra as on its wall a Hebrew graffiti reads “Revenge Benayahu”, referring to an Israeli settler killed during clashes with Palestinians in the village of Tell. (AP Photo)

Netanyahu, who is set to face a national election in October, had ordered a major security operation after describing the incident as “terrorism against Israeli civilians.” He ordered the reinforcement of military units in the West Bank, and cancelled their leave, Reuters reported.

Mosques damaged, graffiti left behind

The two mosques, situated in Qusra and Kour villages in the northern West Bank, suffered extensive damage in the fires. The attackers vandalised the mosque in Qusra and spray-painted “revenge Benayahu,” which referred to one of the Israeli soldiers killed on Friday, and “the land of Israel is redeemed with blood.”

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it was investigating the incident of the mosque attack along with police. “The security forces strongly condemn incidents of this kind, including harm to religious sites, and will continue to act decisively to maintain security and public order in the area.”

Political fallout and local account

A member of Netanyahu’s cabinet, finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, has called for an annexation of the West Bank, a territory which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.

Detailing the incident of the mosque fire, head of Qusra village’s council, Abdel Azim Wadi, said settlers set the newly completed mosque ablaze in the early hours on Sunday.

“The mosque was in its final stage and was ready to receive worshippers. It had already been furnished with couches. They set it on fire and spray-painted Hebrew slogans on its walls,” Wadi said, as reported by Reuters.

(with inputs from agencies)