At least nine Palestinians martyred as Israel mounts major West Bank operation

Jenin (Reuters): At least nine Palestinians were killed on Wednesday, Palestinian authorities said, as Israeli forces raided the flashpoint cities of Jenin and Tulkarm as well as other areas in the occupied West Bank in a major operation involving helicopters and drones.

The assault, one of the largest seen in the West Bank for months, followed a series of smaller raids in the area over recent weeks.

With Israeli forces battling Hamas fighters in Gaza and facing a major escalation of tensions with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in southern Lebanon, Wednesday's operation underscored the multiple security threats Israel has been battling since the start of the Gaza war last year.

The armed wings of the Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah factions said in separate statements their gunmen were detonating bombs against Israeli military vehicles in the three West Bank areas.

By midday, the city of Jenin was relatively quiet but in the crowded refugee camp, a heavily built up township adjacent to the main urban area, occasional explosions could be heard.

A short distance outside the city, blood soaked the ground next to a damaged car and an impact crater from a drone strike the Israeli military said had killed three militant fighters.

The Palestinian health ministry said troops had surrounded Jenin's main hospital, blocking off access with earth mounds - a measure the military said was intended to stop fighters seeking refuge.

A military spokesperson said Wednesday's operation followed a sharp rise in militant activity in recent months, with more than 150 attacks involving shooting or explosives from Tulkarm and Jenin in the past year.

He said the military assessed there was an "immediate threat" to civilians but he said the operation was part of a broad strategy aimed at thwarting attacks.

"This terror threat in this area is not new, it hasn't started yesterday and it's not going to end tomorrow," Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told reporters in a briefing.