Two Palestinians accused of murdering three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces.

Palestinian reports said soldiers approached the house of the suspects in Hebron with a bulldozer and then fired a rocket at it.

An Israeli military spokesman said “we opened fire, they returned fire and they were killed in the exchange.”

Three members of the family were also taken away for questioning during the operation.

The Hebron Governor said the two men were assassinated and condemned the shooting as “premeditated murder” by Israeli forces.

Israel had been searching for Marwan Kawasme and Amar Abu Aysha who were both in their thirties for several months.

They were suspected of killing three Israeli seminary students near a Jewish settlement in the West Bank in June.