ZEITA, West Bank — Two Israeli airstrikes in the West Bank killed nine Palestinian combatants Saturday, Israel’s army said, as violence flared again in the Israeli-occupied territory with tensions high over the war in Gaza and a potential regional escalation.

Cease-fire discussions on Gaza continued, with an Israeli delegation led by the Mossad chief arriving in Cairo, an Egyptian official said.

The delegation, led by Mossad chief David Barnea, included Ronan Bar, chief of Israel’s internal security agency Shin Bet. The delegation left Cairo hours later and there was nothing new, said the Egyptian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The U.S. has urged Israel to seize the chance for a cease-fire after the shock killing of Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, which Tehran blames on Israel.

Haniyeh was in Iran to attend the inauguration of newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

That killing and Israel’s assassination of top Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur in Lebanon have the region holding its breath for retaliation against Israel on either front, or both, after Iran and its proxies vowed to act. Calls for people to leave Lebanon sharpened.

In the northern West Bank, the Israeli army said its forces first struck a vehicle in a rural area outside the city of Tulkarem, killing the five occupants. Hamas identified all five as members of the group, including a local commander.

A journalist and witnesses said the blast took place along a road connecting the Palestinian villages of Zeita and Qaffin.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said four bodies were “burned and charred beyond recognition.”

Later Saturday, Israel’s military said it killed four other Palestinian combatants in the Tulkarem area shortly after they opened fire on Israeli troops. No further information was available.

More than 590 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since the Israel-Hamas war began in Gaza in October, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Tulkarem is regularly raided by Israeli forces, and Palestinian groups, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, are active there.

Iran and its proxies vowed to retaliate against Israel, which said it killed Shukur but has not confirmed or denied its role in Haniyeh’s death. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said a short-range projectile was behind the killing and accused the United States of supporting the attack.

Iran does not recognize Israel and supports anti-Israeli militant groups including Hamas and Hezbollah.

The Pentagon said late Friday that the U.S. military will move a fighter jet squadron to the Middle East and maintain an aircraft carrier in the region. The U.S. Embassy in Lebanon encouraged citizens who wish to leave to “book any ticket available,” noting that several airlines have suspended or canceled flights. The British government called on its citizens in Lebanon to “leave now.”