Israel's military killed two militants, including a leader of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, in a missile attack on a car in the West Bank city of Nablus on Monday, Palestinian security sources said.
Palestinian security officials recovered fragments of what they said was a missile from the charred remains of a car in which Khalil Marshoud, an al-Aqsa brigades leader, and another militant were driving. Both men were killed in the blast.
The Israeli army declined to comment on the incident, which took place outside Nablus's Balata refugee camp on Monday night. The camp is a stronghold for the al-Aqsa brigades, part of President Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction.
At the scene, rescue workers pointed to a large crater next to the remnants of the vehicle which they said was caused by the impact of the missile.
Palestinian residents and security officials were unable to say how the missile was fired because they said electricity was cut moments before the explosion, shrouding the area in darkness.
The incident took place in the line of fire of an Israeli observation post overlooking the Balata refugee camp, they said.
Israel's military has regularly killed Palestinian militants in helicopter missile strikes, but soldiers have also struck at wanted militants by firing missiles from concealed vantage points.
Marshoud was the target of an Israeli missile strike on May 3 when three al-Aqsa brigades members were killed in a helicopter attack, al-Aqsa brigades sources said. They said Marshoud evaded the attempt on his life as he was driving in a different vehicle at the time.