In a move that could further raise tensions, Israel’s West Bank settler organization said that Israeli officials had approved construction of nearly 2,000 new homes in West Bank settlements.
The Israeli government did not immediately confirm the decision, which came just two days after the U.N. Security Council approved a watered-down statement opposing settlement construction.
The army said it surrounded the building and asked the men to surrender, but instead they opened fire. When one of the militants tried to flee the building, he was shot and killed, said Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, a military spokesman. The military then fired missiles at the house, he added, leaving it in ruins and killing the other two men.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said 102 people were wounded, and six of them were in critical condition. Various Palestinian militant groups claimed six of the dead — including the three from Lion’s Den targeted in the raid — as members. But two men, ages 72 and 61, were also killed. There was no immediate word on whether the others belonged to armed groups.
Israeli police announced they were beefing up forces and going on heightened alert in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
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