Several hours after the Israeli army concluded a large military offensive in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, troops re-invaded the city on Friday morning firing rounds of live ammunition and closing all entrances to the city.
Local sources reported that dozens of military vehicles and armored jeeps invaded Nablus in an attempt to abduct resistance fighters after the earlier military offensive failed to achieve its goals.
Israeli army sources reported that resistance fighters were hiding in an area in Nablus, but apparently troops were unable to locate them. Israeli soldiers withdrew from the city but the army said that it might carry out further invasions in the coming period.
On Thursday, the Israeli army carried out a large-scale offensive in Nablus and surrounded several buildings in Al Makhfiyya neighborhood, in the northern part of Nablus. However, they failed to abduct any resistance fighters there.
Eyewitnesses reported that the fighters exchanged fire with the invading forces and managed to escape in spite of the extensive siege. Several buildings were badly hit by shells and live ammunition fired by the Israeli army.
The military offensive in Nablus started last Saturday, and on Thursday afternoon the army announced that it concluded its offensive after stating that soldiers managed to abduct several resistance fighters, and aparently managed to uncover three explosive labs.
One civilian was killed during the offensive, fifteen others were injured and sixty were taken prisoner. Some of the abductees were released.
The civilian who was killed was a 50-year old man identified as Anan Al Tibi. Israeli soldiers claimed that they fired at an Islamic Jihad fighter who was standing next to the man but the bullets missed the fighter and struck him.
The army titled this offensive that began last Saturday as “Hot Winter”, four military battalions and border police troops participated in the attack.
One Israeli soldier was injured during the offensive; army sources stated that he was hit by shrapnel from an explosive in Al Casaba neighborhood in the city.
