NABLUS, West Bank: Israeli forces killed three Palestinians, including two militants, in the occupied West Bank Friday, days after Israel concluded a major two-day offensive meant to crack down on militants.

The persistent violence raised questions about the effectiveness of the raid earlier this week in the Jenin refugee camp, which saw Israel launch rare airstrikes on militant targets, deploy hundreds of troops and cause widespread damage to roads, homes and businesses. Twelve Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed in the operation.

BEIRUT: A shooting inside a mosque during prayers left at least one person dead and five wounded Friday, a Lebanese security official said. The reason behind the shooting in the eastern town of Bar Elias was not immediately clear.

The state-run National News Agency said more gunfire broke out later between Lebanese troops and the shooting suspect, who was wounded in that exchange.

BEIRUT: The vice governors of crisis-hit Lebanon’s central bank urged authorities on Thursday to name a successor to embattled bank chief Riad Salameh, whose mandate expires at the end of July.

Despite reeling from nearly four years of economic meltdown, Lebanon has been governed by a caretaker Cabinet with limited powers and without a president since 2022.

Once hailed as the guardian of the country’s financial stability, Salameh has been accused of amassing a fortune during some three decades in the post.

NABLUS, Palestinian Territories: A Palestinian gunman shot dead an Israeli soldier near a settlement in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, the army said, in an attack claimed by a Palestinian militant group.
Shilo Yosef Amir, 22, was the second Israeli soldier to be killed within a week as violence again surges in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He was killed during a “routine activity” near the settlement of Kedumim, the army said in a statement.

RAMALLAH: Palestinians on Thursday began counting the cost of the damage inflicted by the Israeli offensive on the Jenin refugee camp and its infrastructure. 

The most intense Israeli military operation in the occupied West Bank in nearly two decades left a trail of wrecked streets and burned-out cars, and sparked fury across the Arab world.

Palestinian residents encountered scenes of widespread destruction as they emerged from their homes and returned from nearby shelters.