Beirut: According to two Lebanese security sources and one Palestinian security source who spoke to Reuters on Wednesday, five militants from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine were killed in an explosion that occurred in Lebanon overnight close to the country's border with Syria.

According to Reuters, the Israeli military declined to comment on stories in other media. According to an Israeli official cited by an army radio correspondent, "there was no Israeli attack on the PFLP along the Lebanon-Syria border." 

According to the Israeli military, the man was shot close to the Hermesh settlement in the northern West Bank. 

Also Read: Australia and South Korea agree to increase their defence cooperation

The man was identified as Meir Tamari, a 32-year-old resident of the settlement, by local authorities.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, expressed his condolences to the family and said that the gunmen were being sought after "to settle accounts with them." 

The attack was denounced by EU ambassador to Israel Dimiter Tzantchev as a "cowardly and brutal act of violence."

The incident, which happened a day after Jewish settlers built a religious seminary in a nearby abandoned settlement outpost, was the most recent in a wave of violence that has gripped the West Bank for more than a year. 

Also Read:  War crimes allegations in Afghanistan prompted a warning from the US—Australian defence chief

Israel has increased its nearly nightly military raids throughout the region during that time in response to an uptick in Palestinian attacks.

Since Israel's new far-right government took office in late December, the fighting has intensified. 

In the West Bank and East Jerusalem this year, at least 117 Palestinians have died, with armed militant groups accounting for nearly half of them. 

Also Read: Beijing blames US ‘provocation’ for South China Sea fighter jet incident

However, non-violent bystanders and youths who threw stones have also perished. According to the Israeli army, more Palestinian militants have been killed.

At least 21 people have been killed in those areas as a result of Palestinian attacks on Israelis.