Israeli strikes in the West Bank have killed at least nine people overnight, according to Palestinian officials.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) are said to have launched raids across the occupied West Bank and sealed off the city of Jenin.
Israeli forces surrounded the city, blocking off exit and entry points and access to hospitals, the governor of Jenin, Kamal Abu al Rub, said on Palestinian radio.
The Israeli military confirmed to The Associated Press it was operating in the West Bank cities of Jenin and Tulkarm.
Israel described the overnight operation as a “counter-terrorism” strike, and posting on X, minister for foreign affairs Israel Katz said: “The IDF has been operating with intensity since last night in the refugee camps of Jenin and Tulkarm to thwart Islamic-Iranian terrorist infrastructures that have been established there.”
He accused Iran of working to set up an “eastern terrorist front”.
Mr Katz added: “This is a full-fledged war, and we must win it.”
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Tap here
Clashes with the Israeli military in the West Bank have risen sharply since the 7 October attacks and subsequent invasion of Gaza.
Seven people were killed early on Wednesday in Tubas, another West Bank city, and another two in Jenin, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Qassam Jabarin, 25, and Asem Balout, 39, were identified as the two killed in Jenin, the ministry said.
Image: Site of a drone strike in Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarm. Pic: Reuters
Separately, the IDF said it had “eliminated five terrorists” operating in the area of Nur Shams on Monday.
Thousands of Palestinians have been arrested in recent military raids in the West Bank, and at least 637 have been killed, according to Palestinian health ministry figures.
Many of them are armed fighters but others are stone-throwing youths or uninvolved civilians.
Read more from Sky News:Israeli hostage rescued in ‘miraculous’ operationWhy danger of all-out war still lies ahead
A total of 40,476 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its military response there after the 7 October attacks, according to the Hamas-run health ministry there. The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its figures.
Israel retaliated in Gaza after Hamas killed around 1,200 people and took hundreds more hostage.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive Breaking News alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News App. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
Source : Sky News
