Israeli Airstrike in West Bank Kills Five in Tubas

Israeli forces conducted fresh raids in the occupied West Bank, and Palestinian emergency services said an airstrike in the city of Tubas killed five people.

The Israeli military confirmed the strike, which it said hit an armed militant group, but gave no details.

Israeli soldiers were seen patrolling the streets of Tubas. Entrances and exits from the city were sealed off.

The security forces have been conducting a series of operations in the northern West Bank for the past two weeks, with extended raids in Tubas, Jenin and Tulkarm.

All three cities have a heavy presence of armed factions including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah.

In a separate incident in the city of Tulkarm, the Israeli military said troops backed by police and intelligence services killed an armed militant.

Residents reported being forced from their homes. Violence has surged in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza.

More than 680 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

In the same period, Israel's domestic security agency says about 40 Israeli troops and civilians have been killed in attacks by Palestinians or in clashes with fighters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured the Jordan Valley in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, promising to secure the eastern border with Jordan by building a "robust" barrier.

Netanyahu's visit comes after three Israelis were shot dead by a Jordanian gunman at an Israeli-controlled border crossing between the West Bank and Jordan.

Touring the border region, the prime minister said efforts to bolster security at the border would be done in collaboration with Jordan.

Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty in 1994 and have close security ties. Dozens of trucks cross daily from Jordan, with goods from Jordan and the Gulf that supply both the West Bank and Israeli markets.