Israeli car comes under fire in West Bank; no injuries

An Israeli vehicle was fired upon in the southern West Bank on Saturday evening, close to the settlement of Karmei Tzur and not far from Hebron. There were no injuries or damage reported, the army said.

IDF troops launched a search of the area in the wake of the attack.

Two bullet casings were found close to the site of the gunfire.

The incident came less than 24 hours after a Palestinian man attempted to run over IDF troops with his vehicle Friday night at a checkpoint near the settlement of Ofra in the central West Bank, north of Jerusalem, the army said.

Soldiers fired at the vehicle, and after it halted, the suspect, a man in his thirties, get out with a knife in his hand and charged at the soldiers. The soldiers opened fire and seriously injured him, Channel 2 reported.

No IDF soldiers or Israeli civilians were wounded in the apparent attack, according to the report.

The assailant was taken to the Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus in Jerusalem for treatment.

The knife used by a suspected terrorist near the settlement of Ofra in the central West Bank, October 29, 2016 (Police/Mako)

Earlier Friday, a 23-year-old Palestinian was arrested in Hebron near the Tomb of the Patriarchs after being caught with a large knife, and told security officials he had intended to carry out a stabbing attack.

The man was taken in for questioning after security forces at a checkpoint, who suspected his behavior, searched him and found the knife on his person. He told Border Police officers he had wanted to execute an attack.

In a statement, Border Police said officers’ alertness “may have prevented a stabbing attack against them or against worshipers.”