Israeli troops come under fire in Nablus; 13 suspects arrested in overnight raids

Israeli troops came under gunfire in the early hours of Thursday morning during an arrest raid in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, the military said.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, troops operated extensively throughout the West Bank overnight, arresting 13 wanted Palestinians, including one in Nablus.

“IDF forces operated in the city of Nablus and arrested a wanted man suspected of involvement in terror activity. During the operation, shots were fired at the forces,” the army said, adding that no soldiers were hurt in the incident.

This spring, the IDF launched a major anti-terror offensive mostly focused on the northern West Bank to deal with a series of Palestinian attacks that have left 29 people in Israel and the West Bank dead since the start of the year.

The operation has netted more than 2,000 arrests in near-nightly raids, but has also left over 130 Palestinians dead, many of them — but not all — while carrying out attacks or during clashes with security forces.

Also overnight, the military said Border Police officers seized over a dozen M-16 assault rifle parts and NIS 52,000 ($15,000) in cash intended for terror purposes, found in suspicious vehicles stopped by troops near the town of al-Auja in the Jordan Valley. Five wanted men in the cars were among the 13 detained suspects.

The suspects were taken to be questioned by the Shin Bet security agency.

In recent months, Palestinian gunmen have repeatedly targeted troops operating in the West Bank, as well as military posts, troops operating along the West Bank security barrier, Israeli settlements and civilians on the roads.

On Wednesday afternoon, Palestinian gunmen fired a hail of bullets at the settlement of Shaked, also in the northern West Bank, causing damage to a home.