Netanyahu vows to fight possible U.S. sanctions on Israeli army units

. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he would fight against sanctions being imposed on any Israeli military units for alleged rights violations, after media reports said Washington was planning such a step, Reuters reports.

Earlier three U.S. sources with knowledge of the issue told Axios that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to within days announce sanctions against the Israel Defense Forces "Netzah Yehuda" battalion for human rights violations in the occupied West Bank. 

"If anyone thinks they can impose sanctions on a unit of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) - I will fight it with all my strength," Netanyahu said in a statement.

Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said in a statement on Sunday that he spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and asked him to reconsider the matter. The U.S. statements about the conversation did not mention sanctions.

It would be the first time the U.S., Israel’s main ally, imposed sanctions on an Israeli military unit. The sanctions will ban the battalion and its members from receiving any kind of U.S. military assistance or training, the sources told Axios. According to the news site, a U.S. official said Blinken's determination about the Netzah Yehuda unit is based on incidents that occurred before the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and all took place in the West Bank.