Jerusalem, Feb 4 (IANS): Two Israeli soldiers were killed in a shooting attack at a checkpoint in the northern occupied West Bank on Tuesday, the Israeli military said.
In a statement, the military identified one of the slain soldiers as Ofer Yung, a 39-year-old reservist from Tel Aviv who was a squad commander in the 8211th Battalion, an infantry unit operating mainly in the northern West Bank.
The military said another soldier was killed but withheld his identity, saying his name had not yet been cleared for publication.
The military revised an earlier toll, saying two more reservists were seriously wounded and six others sustained minor injuries.
Initial military probe indicated that a Palestinian assailant, armed with an M-16 rifle and wearing a military vest, arrived overnight at the entrance of an outpost near the checkpoint outside the Palestinian village of Tayasir in the northern Jordan Valley. He lay in wait for Israeli troops nearby and opened fire on them early in the morning.
Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad praised the attack but did not claim responsibility, Xinhua news agency reported.
The incident came two days after the Israeli military announced the expansion of its large-scale operation in the northern West Bank to include the town of Tammun, near the Tayasir checkpoint.
According to Palestinian figures, at least 27 people have been killed by Israeli forces since the offensive began in Jenin last month.
The Israeli military said on Sunday that it has expanded its major campaign in the northern occupied West Bank.
Israel launched its largest military operation in Jenin in years on January 21, calling it a "counterterrorism operation".
The operation, launched by the IDF, Shin Bet security agency, and Border Police, has been dubbed 'Iron Wall'.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that it aims at eradicating terrorism in Jenin and claimed Iran was behind anti-Israeli militant activity in the city.
Hundreds of Israeli soldiers, backed by the Air Force, have since attacked Palestinian territories searching for military weapons and equipment.