The Israeli army says it has captured a woman suicide bomber as its forces raided two West Bank cities, keeping pressure on the Palestinians a day after tanks stormed President Yasser Arafats' compound in Ramallah.
Witnesses said a tanks and troop carriers rolled into Tulkarm in the northern West Bank, where soldiers searched houses and arrested Palestinians before pulling out.
An Israeli army spokesman said troops arrested a woman suspected of plotting a suicide bombing.
Soldiers fired in the air as a 30-vehicle column invaded and imposed a curfew on nearby Jenin, which has been encircled and subjected to raids since Israeli forces fought fierce battles with militants there during a recent West Bank offensive.
The army said Palestinians threw three explosive devices at Israeli forces in the city, regarded by Israel as a stronghold of militants behind attacks. No casualties were reported.
The stepped-up incursions following a suicide bombing that killed 17 Israelis, including 13 soldiers, on Wednesday and heightened tensions ahead of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's visit to the United States next week.