‘ And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, to Hebron, and they fought against it. And they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and its king, and all its cities, and all the souls who were in it. He left none remaining, in accordance with all that he had done to Eglon. But he utterly destroyed (devoted) it and all the souls who were in it.'
Hebron was a different matter. Up in the highlands and forming a confederation of cities it was a more difficult enterprise, but the victorious Joshua did not fail. It had had time to appoint a new king, but he did not enjoy his position for long. For Joshua arrived with his army, captured it and put it to the sword, and probably set it on fire. These accounts are so brief, and yet they say a lot for Joshua's generalship.
Many would, however, escape from the confederation into the mountains, and once Joshua and his army left on their next venture they would return and re-establish the city. Thus later it would have to be reconquered by Caleb under Joshua's command, when Judah began to claim its inheritance (Joshua 15:13-19)