2 Ki.18:11- The king of Assyria deported Israel to Assyria and settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in towns of the Medes.

The practice of deporting ALL the inhabitants of a city or section of country was implemented by the Assyrians from almost the beginning of their history. It is referred to and illustrated frequently on their monuments.

In The History of Herodotus, 1858-60, G. Rawlinson wrote: "In the most flourishing period of their dominion- the reigns of Sargon, Sennacherib, and Easr-Haddon- it [deportation] prevailed most widely, and was carried to the greatest extent. Chaldean were transported into Armenia; Jews and Israelites into Assyria and Media; Arabians, Babylonians, Lusianians, and Persians into Palestine- the most distant portions of the empire changed inhabitants, and no sooner did a people become troublesome from its patriotism and love of independence than it was weakened by dispersion, and its spirit subdued by a severance of all its social associations."

Tiglath Pileser carried a large number of captives to Assyria twenty years before the captivity mentioned in the above Scripture (see 2Ki.15:29)

Eight years following, Sennacherib took "the fortified cities of Judah" (2Ki.18:13) There is an account of this on Assyrian monuments. The king claims to have taken away over 200 000 of the inhabitants.

More than one hundred years after this, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, invaded Judea, and by several distinct deportations carried people into captivity (2Ki.24:14, 25:11, 2Chron.36:20, and Jer.52:28-30)