Arafat under siege as Israel strikes

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.

The assault with tanks and bulldozers came in retaliation for a Tel Aviv bus bombing that killed six people.

Israel's defence minister said he wanted to isolate the Palestinian leader, but not harm or expel him. Bulldozers began digging a deep trench near Mr Arafat's office building, one of the last structures to remain standing in the sprawling complex.

Throughout the night, troops using loudspeakers called on wanted men in the compound to surrender.

In all, 20 men gave themselves up, walking in single file with their arms raised and were taken into custody.

However, several senior Palestinian officials sought by Israel, including the intelligence chief in the West Bank, were not among them.

Israeli snipers also killed an Arafat bodyguard. Israeli Defence Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said troops would not leave until all the wanted men had surrendered, but would not use force to arrest them.

"In terms of the chairman," Mr Ben-Eliezer said referring to Mr Arafat, "we have no intention of expelling him or firing at him. We want to isolate him."

Yet Mr Arafat's aides said he was in grave danger, noting that Mr Arafat's office shook badly with one of the explosions.

"They (soldiers) continue blowing up buildings around us," said adviser Nabil Abu Rdeneh.

Despite the Israeli assault, the third since March, Mr Arafat was in relatively good spirits, those around him said. He was kept awake at night by the sound of shooting and bulldozers toppling walls, but performed the Friday prayer the highlight of the Muslim week in his office before taking an afternoon nap.

Water and electricity had not been cut, unlike in earlier raids.

Throughout the day, Mr Arafat spoke to several Arab leaders, who told him they would seek an emergency session of the UN Security Council to discuss a demand for an immediate Israeli withdrawal, said Abu Rdeneh.

In the Gaza Strip, Israeli tanks backed by helicopter gunships raided a Gaza City neighbourhood and blew up several metal workshops the army said were used for making weapons.

A 25-year-old woman was killed by helicopter fire and a 35-year-old man was killed by tank fire while he walked near his house, witnesses said.

The latest incursions came after a rare emergency session of the Israeli Cabinet late on Thursday.

Ministers put the blame for the Tel Aviv bombing on Mr Arafat, saying he established a "coalition of terror".