Israeli soldiers run during a raid in Jenin in the West Bank, March 30, 2022. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

i24 News – Israeli security forces reinforced their presence in the West Bank on Saturday and made arrests after the killing of a guard at a Jewish settlement.

The al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, one of the main militant groups in the West Bank, claimed responsibility for the terror attack. Israel’s army (IDF) said the guard was on duty at the entrance to Ariel settlement on Friday night when attackers opened fire. Emergency services confirmed that the man, in his 20s, died from his wounds.

Soldiers on Saturday stepped up their presence, particularly at the entrance to the neighboring Palestinian community of Salfi, the IDF noted.

The IDF added that security forces made arrests and seized weapons at Bruqin, also nearby, and at the Balata refugee camp.

The al-Aqsa Brigade is the armed wing of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction.

“We claim responsibility for the heroic operation in the colony of Ariel in which a Zionist officer was killed, in response to violations committed by the occupation government in Jerusalem,” the group said.