TEHRAN – A Palestinian resistance fighter has killed two Israeli soldiers and injured others in a complex shooting operation near Jenin. 

The operation took place at a heavily fortified checkpoint near the village of Tayasir, southeast of Jenin in the northern West Bank.

According to Israeli Army Radio, two Israeli troops were killed. Another eight were injured, including two in critical condition. 

The wounded were evacuated by a military helicopter following the attack.

The incident occurred at a military compound that includes a watchtower and several buildings housing Israeli soldiers.

Israeli Army Radio revealed that the attacker managed to infiltrate the site where soldiers were deployed in the field.

“Inside the compound, he opened fire, leading to clashes with the forces. The exchange of gunfire lasted several minutes before the forces managed to kill him inside the compound,” according to the report.

During the operation, an Israeli Zik surveillance drone was kept in the air. However, the occupation army opted not to use it to eliminate the resistance fighter from the air due to concerns that it might hit their own forces on the ground.

Israeli media confirmed that the shooting took place near an area frequently used by the Israeli army for operations in the northern West Bank. 

The Tayasir area itself has witnessed several clashes in the past.

Doron Kadosh, an Israeli military correspondent, reported that the attacker successfully entered the military site, reached the upper floor, and climbed into the watchtower, where he engaged Israeli forces in a gunfight.

Kadosh described the incident as “worrisome” and said it would prompt difficult questions regarding the security protocols at such military sites.

In a statement, Hamas said the Tayasir checkpoint operation confirms that the crimes and aggression of the Israeli occupation in the northern West Bank will not go unpunished.

Hamas praised the resilience of Palestinian youth in the West Bank and called on the Palestinian people to escalate the confrontation with the occupation regime and its illegal settlers.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement also published a statement that read, “The qualitative operation in Tayasir reaffirms our people’s and resistance’s determination to confront the crimes of the Israeli occupation, which demolishes homes, displaces families, and terrorizes civilians.”

The Palestinian Resistance Committees described the Tayasir checkpoint operation as “a new slap to Zionist security and military establishments.”

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine hailed the “heroic Tayasir operation,” emphasizing that it “exposes the fragility of the Israeli security system and its inability to withstand the resistance.”

The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine stated that the Tayasir operation proves that the occupation regime’s crimes aimed at breaking the resistance in the West Bank will not succeed.

Similarly, the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement confirmed that the Tayasir operation delivered another security blow to the Israeli security and intelligence apparatus.

The Israeli army has intensified its deadly aggression and war crimes against Palestinians in the West Bank over the past weeks, employing offensive military equipment rarely used in the past. 

In recent days, it deployed Eitan (armored fighting vehicle) used by the Nahal Brigade in combat operations in the Tubas and Jenin areas for the first time since the 2002 second intifada. 

Palestinian media have reported that clashes between the Palestinian resistance forces and occupation troops are ongoing in the flashpoint city of Jenin as the regime’s aggression enters its 15th consecutive day.  

On Monday, the Palestinian Health Ministry announced in a statement that 70 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank since the beginning of this year, most of whom from the Jenin governorate.

Palestinian officials have said the recent invasion of Jenin and raids across the occupied West Bank are aimed at covering up for Tel Aviv’s failures to achieve any of its goals in the Gaza Strip where it waged a genocidal war for more than 15 months.

Despite the many war crimes committed in Gaza, the regime was forced to negotiate a ceasefire with Hamas to bring back its captives whereby the Gaza-based group, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to eliminate has returned to power.