Nablus militant shot dead in raid

Israeli soldiers have killed a Palestinian militant in the West Bank city of Nablus.

Troops launched a raid on a house where the man was staying, surrounded it and shot him as he tried to flee, the Israeli army and witnesses said.

Local Palestinians identified the man as Mohammed al-Asi, a member of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades - an offshoot of the mainstream Fatah organisation.

An Israeli spokeswoman said another suspect was arrested in the raid.

She said troops surrounded the building, where several militants were believed to be barricaded.

"After several hours they identified one of the wanted men trying to escape. They called on him several times to stop and eventually opened fire," she said.

The incident comes two days after a bomber killed five Israelis in Netanya - an attack claimed by Islamic Jihad.

A 21-year-old Israeli soldier who was critically hurt in Tuesday's suicide bombing, died of his injuries early on Thursday.