At least 5 reported killed in West Bank airstrike as Israeli raids continue

By Ali Sawafta

TUBAS, West Bank (Reuters) - An Israeli airstrike killed at least five people in the West Bank city of Tubas on Wednesday, Palestinian emergency services said, as Israeli security forces continued an extended operation that the military said targeted Iranian-backed militant groups.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said rescue crews had recovered five bodies at the site and had transferred them to hospital.

The Israeli military confirmed the strike, which it said had hit an armed militant group, but gave no details.

"As part of the counter-terrorism activity, an IAF (Israeli Air Force) aircraft struck an armed terrorist cell a short while ago in the area of Tubas", it said in a statement.

Entrances and exits from Tubas were sealed off and Israeli military vehicles, including road diggers and armoured personnel carriers, could be seen moving through the city, close to the border with Jordan at the northern end of the West Bank.

Israeli forces have been conducting a series of operations in the northern West Bank for the past two weeks, with extended raids in Tubas, Jenin and Tulkarm. All three cities have a heavy presence of armed factions including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah.

Heavy clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters have been reported, while streets and infrastructure in all three cities have suffered extensive damage as Israeli forces have dug up roads and targeted militant bases.

On Tuesday, a Palestinian man and woman were killed during an Israeli raid on Tulkarm, Palestinian health authorities said.

Violence has surged in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza, with almost daily sweeps by Israeli forces that have made thousands of arrests and regular gunbattles between security forces and Palestinian fighters.

More than 680 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year, including both fighters and unarmed civilians, according to the Palestinian health authorities.

In the same period, about 40 Israeli troops and civilians have been killed in attacks by Palestinians or in clashes with fighters, according to Israel's domestic security agency.

On Wednesday, the military reported a car ramming attack east of Ramallah in the West Bank, in which an Israeli man was injured.

(Writing by James Mackenzie, Editing by Timothy Heritage)