Jewish Planes Bomb Arabs in Fierce Battles at Syrian Frontier and Near Jerusalem

Jewish planes today bombed Arab concentrations two raging battles which developed near the Syrian frontier and around the Arab village of Castel, outside Jerusalem, which the Haganah has held since Saturday.

A large Arab force which crossed the Syrian border during the night and blew bridges leading to the Jewish settlement of Lahavoth Habashan, in northeastern Palestine was bombed by Jewish planes after the Arabs had thrown continuous waves ? well-armed guerrillas against the colony. The planes dropped 25-pound bombs on ?avy gun emplacements, including artillery. Although the Jewish settlers were surrounded and cut off from immediate outside aid early in the engagement, they succeed? in launching a counter-offensive against the attackers that drove a wedge into the ##emy’s lines.

The Jews were forced, however, to retreat inside their defense perimeter when the Arabs brought up strong reinforcements using heavy mortars and American machineguns. Jewish fighters from neighboring colonies, who crossed several miles ?f swamp land around Lake Huleh to get to the settlement, attacked the raiders’ flank, ?t were unable to break through the Arab lines.

They reported that heavy artillery, allegedly manned by Germans, was brought into play in an attempt to soften the Jews’ defense ring. Members of the colony, ?sing a small wireless transmitter, their only available means of communication with ?he rest of Palestine, reported to Haganah headquarters that the force of the Arab attack was mounting in ferocity. Later reports said they were still beating back the unceasing waves of attackers.

In the Castel engagement, Haganah planes dropped four 25-pounders on Iraqi troops who had launched a fierce assault on the Jewish-held Arab village, which is a strategic point along the road leading to Jerusalem and whose seizure by the Haganah purportedly led to yesterday’s break-through of Jewish food trucks to Jerusalem. The attack, in which 1,000 Arabs from neighboring villages joined the Iraqi guerrillas under Abdul Jabr el Shamari, began last night and resulted in heavy loss of life to the Arabs. Not a single inch of ground was gained by the raiders, but it is apparent that they are to recapture the village at all costs. Late reports said that Jewish reinforcements from the surrounding area had launched an offensive on the Guerrillas’ rear, but results of this development were not immediately known. One unconfirmed report indicated that the Arabs had captured the adjoining Arab village of Suba.

British troops today surrounded the Jewish colony of El Yishuv, south of Haifa, and were reported to have threatened to shell the settlement unless the Jews surrendered their arms. At the same time, reports from Mishmar Haemek said that Arabs were continuing their attack on the colony, which has been in progress for the last days.