Israel's defense minister said Sunday troops will remain “for the coming year” in parts of the occupied West Bank where they have launched an offensive and will prevent tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians from returning,

A month-long sweep for Palestinian militants in the northern West Bank could continue for a year, Israel’s defense minister said, adding that residents who fled will be barred from returning and that a contested UN relief agency’s work there will be halted.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered Israel’s military to conduct an operation in the occupied West Bank after three empty buses exploded in a suspected terror attack near Tel Aviv on Thursday.