At least two suspected Palestinian militants are dead after an Israeli military strike Thursday in the West Bank. The attack came a day after Israel launched one of its largest military offensives in the territory, killing two Palestinians on its most wanted list of terrorists.
An Israeli helicopter gunship fired missiles at a taxi carrying several Palestinian militants near the West Bank city of Tulkarem. Palestinian officials said that at least two occupants of the taxi were killed in the attack. Israeli soldiers then reportedly closed in on the taxi and abducted one of the injured occupants.
Israeli army officials say they believe the two men killed were planning a suicide bombing in the Sharon region of Israel, north of Tel Aviv. Police in the Sharon area are on high alert following intelligence warnings of possible suicide bombing attacks.
On Sunday, two members of the Islamic Jihad shot and killed four Israeli women in a main street of Hadera, a town in the heart of the Sharon region. The area is located not far from Jenin in the West Bank, a recruiting center for suicide bombers.
The Israeli army has launched a heavy blitz against the Islamic Jihad and Hamas, two militant groups that have carried out many attacks in Israel.
Earlier Thursday, Israeli undercover police backed by soldiers kidnapped a top Hamas activist, Omar Jabarin in the village of Beit Iba, near Nablus in the West Bank.
On Wednesday, Israeli troops killed six Palestinians in the West Bank, including a senior Hamas activist wanted for his part in organizing suicide bombings and the killing of Jewish settlers.