Settlers besiege West Bank homes as US envoy decries 'horrific act of terror'

A Palestinian American man and his teenage son were evacuated by Israeli forces on Thursday morning after being trapped inside their family home for five days, as settlers besieged properties on the outskirts of the West Bank village of Qusra, south of Nablus.

Qusai Abu Rida said he and his son had been staying at his brother's home to defend it. The Israeli military confirmed troops were deployed inside one of the besieged homes, describing the move as part of a "defensive posture" to protect residents.

The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, condemned the settlers' actions as a "horrific act of terror."

Israeli troops intervened in recent days to restore order. Overnight Thursday, the military said it dismantled two illegal outposts in the area and detained one Israeli. A battalion of soldiers was surged to the region, roughly 16 kilometers from Nablus, to carry out patrols.

Home security footage from Thursday morning appeared to show settlers still hiding near a damaged stone wall close to the home of another Palestinian American, Loui Ridi.

The incident follows a month of escalating violence in the area. Last month, a mosque in Qusra was set on fire in an apparent settler attack, after the killing of an Israeli settler triggered clashes that left two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinian villagers dead.

Palestinians and Israel's opposition accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government of tolerating settler violence, which has surged in recent years. Settlers have also accelerated the construction of outposts, a move widely condemned internationally as undermining prospects for a Palestinian state.