Sharjah 24 – AFP: Israel launched a large-scale military operation Wednesday in the occupied West Bank, where the army said it killed nine Palestinian fighters, while the nearly 11-month Gaza war showed no signs of abating.
In the early hours of Wednesday, the Israeli military launched a series of coordinated raids across four West Bank cities -- Jenin, Nablus, Tubas and Tulkarem.
Columns of Israeli armoured vehicles entered two refugee camps, in Tulkarem and Tubas, as well as Jenin.
By midday, they were blocking entrances to the towns and camps, AFP photographers said, with soldiers firing at the camps from which gunfire and explosions were heard.
Israeli bulldozers dug up asphalt from the streets, with the army saying it was looking for roadside bombs.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said Israeli forces killed nine people and wounded 15 others in the raids, revising its previous toll of 10 dead.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas cut short a visit to Saudi Arabia and headed home to "follow up on the latest developments in light of the Israeli aggression on the northern West Bank", Palestinian official media said.
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