The strikes comes just days after the assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday, and top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut the evening before.
ADVERTISEMENTTwo Israeli airstrikes in the West Bank killed nine Palestinian militants on Saturday, Israel’s army said, as ceasefire discussions were set to continue in Egypt.
The US has urged Israel to seize the chance for a ceasefire after the shock killing of Hamas’ political leader in Iran, which Tehran blames on Israel.
In the northern West Bank, the Israeli army said its forces first struck a vehicle in a rural area outside the city of Tulkarem early morning, killing the five occupants. The army said they were on their way to carry out an attack. Hamas identified all five as militants with the group, including a local commander.
Later on Saturday, Israel’s military said it killed four other Palestinian militants in the Tulkarem area shortly after they opened fire on Israeli troops.
An Israeli delegation led by Mossad chief David Barnea arrived in Cairo on Saturday, an Egyptian official said. The delegation will meet with Abbas Kamel, head of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service, for talks focusing on the Philadelphi corridor along the border with Egypt and the Rafah crossing point, the official said.
Concerns about a full-fledged regional war are high after the assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran early Wednesday and top Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur in Beirut the evening before.
Iran and its proxies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, vowed to retaliate against Israel, which said it killed Shukur but has not confirmed or denied its role in Haniyeh’s death.
President Joe Biden said he had urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to seize the chance for a ceasefire with Hamas, adding that Haniyeh’s killing had “not helped” efforts to negotiate an end to the war. Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas’ military and governing capabilities.
