File photo of Israeli soldiers take aim during clashes with Palestinian protesters in West Bank. Photo: Hazem Bader/AFP
Israel’s military on Wednesday killed three members of a “terrorist cell” in a rare drone strike in the West Bank, the army said, as violence escalates in the territory.
It was the first incident of its kind in several years.
“Following the identification of the terrorist cell, an IDF UAV fired toward the cell and thwarted them,” an army statement said.
Intelligence led Israel Defense Forces (IDF) personnel to identify the cell “inside a suspicious vehicle, after the cell carried out a shooting adjacent to the town of Jalamah,” the statement said.
Jalamah, at the northern end of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, is just a few kilometers (miles) from Jenin, where on Monday an Israeli raid killed seven Palestinians. Seven Israeli security personnel were wounded during the operation to arrest two suspects.
Israel Defence Forces (IDF) acted on intel received and identified the cell “inside a suspicious vehicle”, after it “carried out a shooting adjacent to the town of Jalamah” near Jenin in the northern West Bank “IDF soldiers identified a terrorist cell inside a suspicious vehicle after the cell carried out a shooting adjacent to the town of Jalamah.
Following the identification of the terrorist cell, an IDF UAV fired toward the cell and thwarted them,” read a statement from the Israeli military.
Jenin Deputy Governor Kamal Abu al-Roub confirmed the killing, saying there were “three dismembered bodies” inside the car which had been hit by drone missiles.
First air strike since 2006
Despite the hostilities between the two sides, West Bank has remained largely unaffected by aerial strikes. This is the first strike by the Israeli side since August 2006, according to Palestinian agencies.
Notably, in February, Israel carried out a rare daytime arrest operation that triggered fighting in the occupied West Bank, killing at least 11 people and wounding more than 100.
Prior to the ground operation, both sides had fired projectiles that caused significant damage. At the time, many dubbed it as one of the deadliest escalations in the occupied West Bank since 2005.
The drone strike comes days after the Benjamin Netanyahu coalition government tabled plans to approve 4,650 housing units in the occupied West Bank. The plans were included on the agenda of Israel’s Supreme Planning Council that meets next week.
“We will continue to develop the settlement of and strengthen the Israeli hold on the territory,” said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich who also plays a leading role in overseeing West Bank administration.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the situation in the Palestinian territory was the ‘most combustible in a year’, adding that tensions remained ‘sky high’. Our immediate priority must be to prevent further escalation, reduce tensions and restore calm,” said Guterres. Ever since Netanyahu returned to power with his coalition of far-right allies, violence has intensified in the region.
Israel has been occupying Palestinian territory, including West Bank since the Six-Day War of 1967. The escalation in recent times, however, has made the situation tense in the region.
(With inputs from agencies)
