Israeli troops fatally shot a West Bank leader of the Islamic Jihad militant group the army claimed was involved in an attempted bombing near Tel Aviv.
Mahmoud Abu Obeid, 24, was traveling in a car in the center of Jenin when undercover Israeli troops shot and killed him, Palestinian witnesses said. An Israeli combat helicopter was seen in the area at the time, they said.
An Israeli officer claimed Abu Obeid had fired in the air with an M-16 rifle and then pointed it at troops before being shot.
Mr Obeid was wanted for recruiting a Palestinian from the Jenin area who was caught by Israeli security in Tel Aviv trying to carry out a suicide bombing, the army said. Abu Obeid also had supplied the bomber with the explosives, the army claimed.
Troops tracked down Abu Obeid due in part with information given to security forces during the interrogation of the bomber caught yesterday, Halevy said.
Islamic Jihad had claimed responsibility for the attempted attack and vowed retaliation for Abu Obeid's killing. The group said he was a leader of Islamic Jihad in the West Bank, and has been wanted by Israel for four years.
"The Zionist enemy's crimes and killing will not effect our resistance program and God willing today's crime will not pass without revenge and revenge will be soon," the group said.
The group said it fired a rocket from the Gaza Strip toward Israel. The Israeli army said the rocket failed to reach Israel.
AP