Israeli troops' offensive grows more intense

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Israeli forces moved into Bethlehem early Tuesday after attacking Palestinian security headquarters near Ramallah with tanks and machine guns, Palestinians said, signaling further intensification of an offensive the Israelis say is aimed at stamping out terrorism.

Tanks entered Bethlehem from two directions, witnesses said, heading toward the center of town, where the Church of the Nativity marks the traditional birthplace of Jesus. Witnesses heard exchanges of gunfire a few hundred yards from the church.

The Israeli military said forces took up controlling positions in the town and were searching for suspected terrorists and weapons. A statement said Israeli forces also searched three Palestinian villages in the northern West Bank.

Earlier, the Israelis attacked the headquarters of Palestinian Preventive Security outside Ramallah, firing tank shells and machine guns, Palestinian officials said. They said Palestinian security chief Jibril Rajoub had given orders to the 400 men inside to resist.

Palestinians said the building had been set on fire and there was an unknown number of casualties. The battle wound down just before daybreak, they said.

Palestinian officials said that Israeli soldiers used 60 Palestinian civilians as human shields in front of the tanks before the assault. Army spokesman Olivier Rafowicz "categorically denied" the charges. Israel banned reporters from the scene, and there was no independent confirmation.

In a statement, the Israeli military said many "leaders responsible for the recent wave of terrorism" were holed up in the building and had ignored an ultimatum to surrender.

Since the latest Israeli offensive began Friday with an assault on Yasser Arafat's compound in Ramallah, Israeli forces have arrested about 700 suspected militants, said military spokesman Brig. Gen. Ron Kitrey.

Three or four weeks

Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres told MSNBC that Israel does not plan to occupy the Palestinian areas.

"We are in the territories for three or four weeks. We don't intend to occupy the places," Peres said, adding that Israel does not intend to dismantle the Palestinian Authority or harm Arafat.

Spurred by a wave of bloody suicide attacks that claimed more than 40 lives in five days, Israeli leaders said the military drive was meant to smash a Palestinian terrorist infrastructure. Palestinians, for their part, said Israel's tactics amounted to a campaign of state terror against the civilian population.

On Monday, Israeli troops backed by armor pounded a Ramallah building with anti-aircraft guns, briefly pushing into Bethlehem and sending the deafening echo of tank shells through Palestinian streets.

Later Monday, Palestinians opened fire on an Israeli car in the West Bank, wounding three members of a family. Israeli soldiers fired back, killing one of the gunmen, the military said.

Rockets from Lebanon

On another front, Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon fired two rockets at Israel, the military said. The rockets exploded harmlessly in fields. Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas, has called for helping the Palestinians in their struggle against Israel.

Troops searching for Palestinian militants and weapons caches carried out house-to-house searches and engaged in running battles with gunmen. In the center of Ramallah, soldiers used vehicle-mounted antiaircraft guns to pulverize the facade of a building where Palestinian gunmen were holed up, sending chunks of masonry plunging into the street.