Evening star., 1948-05-01
Arab Forces ReportedAdvancin
In Palestine From Two Directions
As Battle for Jerusalem Continues
Egyptian, Syrian,
lebunese Armies
Declared Movino
BY the ASsocintad Preks

JERUSALEM, May ARAB
nations ringing the Holy Land
launched their invasion of Pal
estne in simultaneous pincers
thruStS today, Arab and Jewish
sources reported, even though
the British mandate has IS days
to run.
Tel Aviv headquarters of Hagana.
the Jewish militia. said Syrian and
Lebanese forces invaded at dawn
from the north in heavy attacks.
Hagana reported Jewish outposts
at three settlements within Pales-
tine engaged in fierce fighting
against invaders using tanks and
armored cars. The announcement
said the attackers ARE using gun.
mortars and machineguns"
Saud's Army Shifted.
Unofficial sources in Cairo said
the Egyptian Army crossed into
Southern Palestine at midnight and
that King Ibn Saud ordered his
Saudi Arabian Army to join Egyp-
tan troops on the southern front.
Arab dispatches to Damascus.
SYRIA, asserted King Abdullah Of
Trans-Jordan ordered simultaneous
invasion of the Holy Land by six
Arab states armies. The reports
said Iraq planes flew above in
vading troops from Iraq, showering
the soldiers with leaflets 'Welcom-
ing" them into Palestine.
In Amman, Trans-Jordan, Alb
dullahs palace aides denied a Da-
mascus report that the invasion got
under way yesterday. A courier
from Amman to Jerusalem said he
saw no unusual military activity on
the Holy Lands eastern frontier
Abdullah's British-trained Arab
Legion controls the highway from
Allenby Bridge, across the Jordan,
to the outskirts of Jerusalem. but
these troops still are under the
British Palestine command.
Three Towns Attacked.
The Hagana announcement said
Arab forces were attacking the
settlements of Dafne, Ramot Naftali
and Dan in the first outright in
vaSion Of Palestine by any of the
neighboring Arab states.
The report said the thrust was
made into the northern part of
Palestine from two directions, one
force crossing the Lebanese frontier
and the other the Syrian frontier
few miles away.
The neighboring settlements of
Datne and Dan are two or three
miles from Syria, Ramot Naftal
four miles from Lebanon.
The announcement said the ar
mored forces had fought their way
up to the outpostS guarding the
settlements.
The attackers are using guns,
mortars. machineguns and armored
cars" Hagana said AT Ramot
Naftali six Lebanese tanks have
reached the settlement defenSeS.
There is heavy fighting. First re-
ports of casualties have begun to
come in
Jerusalem Fight Goes On.
Fighting continued in the battle
for Jerusalem, where Hagana con-
soidated its hold on the strategic
Katamon sector in the southern part
of the city.
In the Jaffa-Tel Aviy area, where
the Jewish Irgun Zvai Leumi had
virtually isolated the Arab port of }
JafTa. the British said at least 10
IrCuniSts were killed when the
Arabs broke a truce and the Jews
returned fire An earlier British .
announcement said the men were
killed when Irgun broke the truce.
but this report was amended later
Some TranS-Jordan troops al
ready were in Palestine. holding
Jericho, 20 miles northeast of
Jerusalem.
Five Arab states held a council of
war in Trans-Jordan. They we're
planning operations which. King
Abdullah said. will tighten the ring
around the Jewish enemy" ASSo- /
Ciated Press Correspondent Daniel
de Luce reported from Amman
Army chiefs of staff of Trans
Jordan, Syria. 1raq and Lebanon
we're joined by Col. Haf1z Bey
See pAI FSTTNE pooe Al