By World Israel News Staff

The Israeli military carried out an airstrike in northern Samaria on Tuesday, a rare use of air power in the area, aimed at foiling a planned terror attack.

The strike occurred outside of the Palestinian Authority-administered town of Kafr Qud west of Jenin early Tuesday morning, after three members of a Palestinian terror cell were spotted emerging from a cave.

Israeli police snipers from the Yamam counter-terror force tracked the three as they exited the cave, opening fire on the terrorists.

According to an IDF spokesperson two of the terrorists were killed by the sniper fire, while a third was wounded.

The Israel Air Force was then called in to eliminate the wounded terrorist, and to destroy the cave which the trio had been operating out of.

The operation was conducted based on intelligence information collected by the Shin Bet security agency, the IDF said.

The three terrorists had exited the cave during an Israeli arrest operation in Jenin, and were apparently planning an attack.

“Last night, in an offensive operation by Yamam fighters in the village of Kafr Qud, in the Menashe Brigade sector, the forces—guided by the Shin Bet and assisted by IDF troops—acted to thwart a terror cell that had planned to carry out an attack and had taken part in the terror network operating in the Jenin refugee camp,” the police department said Tuesday.

Defense Minister Israel Katz (Likud) said that the IDF would continue to operate in northern Samaria to break up terrorist networks and to prevent the reestablishment of terror infrastructure, following the crackdown launched in January.

“Any attempt to rebuild the terror infrastructure in Judea and Samaria that we have thwarted and destroyed in the terror camps of northern Samaria will be met with a firm hand. The airstrike was carried out to neutralize a cave that had been uncovered and as a complement to the ground operation.”

“IDF forces, led by Central Command, will continue to remain in the terror camps of Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur al-Shams in order to prevent terrorism and attacks. Anyone who aids terrorism or provides it with cover and assistance will be dealt with according to the Jenin terror camp model.”