Israeli tanks pull back after deadly raid

ISRAELI tanks and bulldozers pulled back from the Palestinian town of Beit Lahiya yesterday after tearing up roads, flattening strawberry greenhouses and knocking down walls of dozens of houses in what residents said was the most devastating raid in four years of fighting.

The two-day foray was part of a major Israeli military offensive in the northern Gaza Strip, now in its third week. Five Palestinian militants and an elderly civilian were killed in three separate missile strikes in the fighting.

Israel said the campaign is aimed at halting Palestinian rocket fire on Israeli towns. Palestinians say much of the destruction is wanton.