Israeli soldier shot dead near settlement in West Bank, army says

An Israeli soldier was shot dead Tuesday near a settlement in the occupied West Bank, the second deadly attack on armed forces in less than a week, the Israeli army said.

“Two assailants arrived in a vehicle adjacent to the community of Shavei Shomron and shot live fire at IDF (Israeli military) soldiers,” the army said, announcing one of the soldiers was killed.

The shooting was claimed by “The Lions’ Den,” a loose coalition of Palestinian fighters which has emerged in recent months.

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“We announce carrying out a second shooting operation targeting occupation (Israeli) soldiers in the Deir Sharaf area, west of Nablus,” the group said.

Israeli forces are in pursuit of the assailants following the attack near Nablus in the northern West Bank, the military added in its statement.

An AFP journalist saw security forces deployed in the area and checking vehicles.

The killing comes three days after an Israeli soldier was shot dead at a checkpoint in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

Israeli forces are continuing a manhunt for the alleged gunman, identified by police as a 22-year-old Palestinian resident of the city.

East Jerusalem and the West Bank have been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War.

Israeli settlements have been established by the state across the two territories, which are deemed illegal by most of the international community.

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