JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli army says two soldiers were killed in an attack in Judea-Samaria on Friday that also left two suspected gunmen dead.

The army said two soldiers, Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem, were killed and three others were lightly wounded during an attack by Palestinian gunmen.

The army said it had prevented a “terror attack against Israeli civilians” and that the two suspects, both Palestinians from Hebron, were armed with an M16 rifle and a handgun.

It said the men arrived at an Israeli military position in the morning, triggering an exchange of fire lasting approximately 20 minutes, after which the terrorists were killed by Israeli troops. The army said its forces prevented the men from advancing further where the attack could have resulted in civilian casualties.