Askume TUBAŞ, West Bank, Sept 11 (Askume) – Israel carried out an airstrike on the West Bank town of Tubas on Wednesday, killing at least five people, Palestinian emergency services said. Meanwhile, Israeli security forces continued to expand operations which the military says are targeting Iran-backed militant groups.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said rescue workers recovered five bodies from the scene and took them to hospital.
The Israeli military confirmed the attack and said it was against an armed terrorist group, but gave no details.
“As part of counter-terrorism activities, an Israeli Air Force aircraft recently attacked an armed terrorist group in the Tubas region,” the statement said.
The entrances and exits to Tubas were closed and Israeli military vehicles, including road diggers and armoured personnel carriers, could be seen passing through the town, on the northern tip of the West Bank near the Jordanian border.
Israeli forces have carried out a number of operations in the northern West Bank over the past two weeks , including prolonged assaults on Tubas, Jenin and Tulkarem. All three cities are home to a large number of armed groups, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah.
According to reports, serious clashes broke out between the Israeli army and Palestinian militants, with the Israeli army digging up roads and targeting terrorist hideouts in three cities.
A Palestinian man and a woman were killed in an Israeli attack on Tulkarem on Tuesday, Palestinian health officials said.
Violence has escalated in the West Bank since the war in Gaza began , with Israeli forces carrying out almost daily raids and arresting thousands of people and regular gunfights between security forces and Palestinian militants.
More than 680 Palestinians, including militants and unarmed civilians, have been killed in the West Bank since the Hamas-led attack on Israel last October 7, according to Palestinian health officials.
Nearly 40 Israeli soldiers and civilians were killed in Palestinian attacks or clashes with militants during the same period, according to Israel’s Internal Security Agency.
An Israeli man was wounded in a car attack east of Ramallah in the West Bank on Wednesday, the army said.
