Israel says suspect killed wearing a suicide vest following roadside bomb

JERUSALEM, March 15 (Reuters) - Israeli security forces killed a man suspected of planting a roadside bomb that injured a man near the occupied West Bank this week, the military said on Wednesday, adding that the suspect's potential ties to the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah were being investigated.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shortended a scheduled trip to Berlin on Wednesday, according to his office, which earlier said he had held consultations "on developments in national security".

While a preliminary itinerary circulated last week had said he would return on Friday, the new statement said he would return on Thursday.

The statements did not specify whether the rescheduling and consultations were linked. Nor did they provide further details.

On Monday, an Israeli motorist was seriously hurt in an explosion on a road near the occupied West Bank, where Palestinian militant attacks have intensified in recent months.

Israeli officials had refrained from commenting but in a briefing with reporters, the military said a suspect armed with several weapons, including a suicide vest, had been stopped at a checkpoint on Monday.

Israeli security forces shot and killed the man. His driver was apprehended and taken for further questioning, according to an Israeli military official.

The suspect "was found in possession of weapons, including an explosive belt ready to be activated," the military said, adding that another "attack was prevented".

The official said the military was investigating possible links between the man and Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah militant group and was working under the assumption that the suspect infiltrated into Israel from Lebanon.

The official did not provide evidence for the man's alleged connection to Lebanon. Hezbollah did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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