YASSER ARAFAT will be buried at his West Bank headquarters in a stone coffin, not a wooden one, to allow his re-interment at a later time in Jerusalem, top aides said yesterday.

ISRAELI soldiers blew up three buildings in Yasser Arafat compound yesterday, rocking the office where he was holed up and sending huge clouds of smoke into the air.

Hezbollah has offered to release some of the Israeli prisoners it holds to win freedom for Palestinians holed up in the West Bank.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has urged Israel to stop its assault on Yasser Arafat’s headquarters, saying destroying it will not bring peace.

Israel has delayed withdrawing from some Palestinian towns following a bomb attack on a Jewish settlement.