Israeli troops opened fire on a Palestinian vehicle after it allegedly attempted to ram soldiers at a security checkpoint in western Samaria, in what the military is now investigating as a suspected terrorist attack.

The incident took place at the Hashmonaim Crossing, a key security point near Modi’in and Modi’in Illit on the edge of central Israel. According to the IDF, the vehicle drove toward troops at the checkpoint before soldiers responded with live fire. No injuries were reported.

The crossing sits in a sensitive corridor linking central Israel with communities in western Samaria, where Israeli security forces have remained on high alert amid a persistent wave of Palestinian terror attacks, attempted rammings, shootings, firebombings and explosive-device incidents.

The latest attempted ramming comes after another recent Hashmonaim Crossing incident in which police shot and injured a Palestinian suspect accused of driving a stolen vehicle into police cruisers and trying to run over officers. That case was treated as a criminal incident, but it underscored how quickly a vehicle breach at an Israeli checkpoint can become a life-threatening security event.

Rescuers Without Borders, also known as Hatzalah Judea and Samaria, reported at least 5,051 attacks targeting Israeli Jews in the area last year, including rock attacks, firebombs, explosives, shootings and laser attacks aimed at blinding drivers. The group said 24 Israeli civilians were murdered and more than 400 wounded.