Israel raids West Bank, thousands confined

Israel’s largest raid in the West Bank for months entered its second day today, with tens of thousands of Palestinians confined to their Nablus homes as soldiers searched for suspected militants.

The military said soldiers uncovered the second explosives laboratory in the city in two days yesterday, pledging to maintain the open-ended sweep through the overcrowded warren of paths and streets in Nablus until it fulfils its goal - detaining the city’s top militants and heading off attacks against Israelis.