Nearly a dozen Arab-Israelis have been killed in the past week amid a spate of gang violence in Arab cities and towns in the Negev.
Three men were found fatally shot in the town of Shfaram, bringing the total for the week to 11.
Authorities believe the killings are linked to a war between the Hawalad and Sawad crime families, which has flared up in recent days.
The dispute has been rumbling on for around three years and is believed to have claimed more than 30 lives in that period.
In response, President Herzog held an emergency meeting with Jewish and Bedouin leaders on Wednesday, saying it was "unthinkable" that such violence had been allowed to escalate.
"[Arab-Israelis] deserve to live in security like Jewish citizens in the country," he said, calling the extended crime wave within the Arab community a "national catastrophe and national challenge".
Likewise, during a tour of southern Israel this week, Prime Minister Netanyahu said the Negev region was "out of control" and backed a policing crackdown.
"We will rein it in, and an important operation by the Israel Police has already begun, in conjunction with other forces," he declared.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir added: "Despite the efforts of criminal elements to intimidate us we are not flinching.
"We will continue the operation throughout the Negev as long as necessary, with the goal of restoring security to residents."
However, some Bedouin leaders have protested the police operation, claiming it amounts to a form of collective punishment for the actions of a violent minority within the community, emboldened by periods of police neglect.
The Israel Police has responded by claiming that prior enforcement operations have been hampered by criminal intimidation and, consequently, a lack of cooperation from the local community.
Authorities have so far arrested 10 suspects, all residents of Arara Banegev, in connection with the shootings and other murders.
Last year, officials recorded 255 violent deaths in the Arab-Israeli community, a record high, with 2026 experiencing a similar rate thus far.
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