Israeli troops move into Nablus

The Washington Post

NABLUS, West Bank -- Hundreds of Israeli troops and armored vehicles blitzed into Nablus Friday and combed the alleyways in search of Palestinian militants connected to Israeli civilian attacks.

At least three Palestinians were killed and five injured when the Israelis punched in about 2 a.m. and took up positions in and around the crowded city center. The densely populated downtown neighborhood is a well-known haven for Palestinian fighters, who use its maze of twisted lanes to elude Israeli forces.

Israeli military officials said Nablus was targeted because the men and materials from recent attacks were traced there, including those involved in Wednesday's bombing at Hebrew University that killed seven people, including five U.S. citizens. Investigators believe the bomb used -- which was detonated remotely, perhaps via a cell phone -- was assembled in Nablus, a stronghold of the Islamic Resistance Movement, or Hamas, which claimed responsibility for the bombing.