The explosions tore through the city of Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, sending plumes of smoke into the sky.

Three U.S. Army soldiers were onboard a BlackHawk helicopter that collided with a passenger jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.

"The IDF destroyed a short time ago a number of buildings in Jenin used as terrorist infrastructure," Israel's military said in a statement.

An Israeli military operation was under way Sunday in the north of the occupied West Bank, where “several buildings” have been destroyed near Jenin. The expanding crackdown came as Israeli Prime

The sudden expansion of Israeli security operations in the West Bank has killed at least 10 people and follows the start of the delicate ceasefire process in Gaza, by which Israeli hostages are released in stages and will also see the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces.

The action came a day after President Donald Trump said he will lift sanctions on ultranationalist Israeli settlers who attacked Palestinian villages.

The Israeli military killed at least seven Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday as the prime minister announced the start of a “large-scale military operation” in the restive city of Jenin.

Israel has stepped up its operations in the West Bank in recent weeks, since the ceasefire in Gaza came into effect.

As Israel withdraws some of its troops from Gaza during a cease-fire there, it has turned attention to another Palestinian territory — in particular a city with a history of militant activity.

Thick clouds were seen rising from the Palestinian city where Israeli forces have been conducting a massive operation for nearly two weeks that the Israeli military says is targeted at local militants,