The IDF launched military operations overnight in Kalkilya, Salfit, Jenin and Jericho, in response to a fatal shooting attack last night near Alfei Menashe and as part of increased efforts to crack down on terrorist activities in these areas.

Following the shooting attack, which claimed the life of Ruth Shu'ai of Alfei Menashe, Israeli tanks advanced towards Palestinian security facilities in Kalkilya and in the village of Salfit, near Ariel. IDF spokesmen reported that a Palestinian police station was destroyed in Kalkilya as well as a Palestinian position in Salfit.

At the same time, IDF armored units and heavy engineering equipment advanced towards the city of Jericho. The force reportedly tightened the closure on the city and it was unclear how long the IDF would remain positioned in Palestinian-controlled territory. The actions came in the wake of the shooting attack in the Jordan Valley on Sunday in which two Israelis were killed.

Palestinian Authority Minister Saeb Erekat reported at least 20 IDF tanks and bulldozers entering Jericho, with heavy exchanges of fire, and flares over the area. Mosque loudspeakers in the city reportedly called on residents to defend the city. The BBC reported that the IDF destroyed the main Jericho police station. There were no reports of injuries in the operation.

Jenin operations continue into 4th day
"Israeli armored, infantry and engineering units completed an attack on the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority's forces and destroyed a wing used by Force-17 and General Intelligence," an Israeli army spokeswoman said of the Jenin operation. Palestinians reported three people killed in the overnight clashes. No IDF injuries were reported.

Palestinian sources this morning reported an increased Israeli military presence in the area. The actions in Jenin came as part of the fourth straight day of Israeli military operations imposing a tight closure on the northern West Bank town considered a "hornets' nest" of terrorist activity and the source of many of the recent suicide bombings in Israel.

The previous night, IDF forces moved into the center of Jenin and destroyed Palestinian security facilities in the villages of Tamoun and Araba, south of the town. At the end of the operation, IDF forces withdrew from the area. Palestinians reported some 9 dead and over 30 injured in the IDF action. Wael A'asaf, 20, Islamic Jihad's military wing commander in the Samaria region and Aha'ad Dakka, 30, who headed the Islamic Jihad terror cell in Tulkarm, were among those killed in the operation.

Fatal shooting attack near Alfei Menashe
Last night Ruth Shu'ai, 46, was traveling with her husband from their home in Alfei Menashe to nearby Kfar Saba when their car came under attack at the Habla intersection. Terrorists in a passing car managed to fire at least eight bullets at the Shu'ai vehicle before escaping into the village of Habla, which is under Israeli security control.

Ruth Shu'ai, who was sitting in the passenger seat, suffered fatal chest wounds in the attack. Her husband, who was driving the vehicle, was hospitalized suffering from shock.

"We arrived there maybe three minutes after the shots were fired," reported Tzachi Cohen, a medic from the Karnei Shomron Magen David Adom station. "An IDF medic and two other soldiers were already there, trying to resuscitate her." Shu'ai was pronounced dead upon arrival at Kfar Saba's Meir Hospital.

In another shooting attack last night, an Israeli resident of Talmon was lightly injured in an ambush at the Haparsa junction, west of Ramallah.

© 2001 Koret Communications Ltd. All rights reserved. Terms of Use.