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.

The army carried out simultaneous explosions on homes and buildings in Jenin's refugee camp which it said were 'terror infrastructure.'View on euronews

Israel has destroyed multiple buildings in the occupied West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp, hours after its forces killed a 73-year-old man, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said. At least 20 homes were destroyed in the attack on Sunday,

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.

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

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the assault on Jenin would be “extensive and significant,” as the military erected new checkpoints across the West Bank.

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

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,