Jews Blast Three Bridges in Northern Palestine to Hold Up Invading Arabs from Syria

The Haganah this week-end blew up three bridges connecting northern Palestine with Syria in a move to hinder the free flow of Arab Irregulars from Syria and Lebanon into the heart of Palestine. One of the bridges, cross a tributary of the Jordan River northwest of Dan, was completely destroyed. The other two were seriously damaged.

One span, the Hussein Bridge, was blasted today, while the other two were attacked last night. At the Hussein bridge the attack was carried out by driving an ?r?ored car loaded with explosives to the center of the structure and then setting it off. The driver dove into the water, but was shot and Killed by Arab Legion sentries.

Tonight the Haganah launched a heavy attack on the village of Seasa, near Safad, from which raids have been staged on Ein Zeitim and other Jewish settlements. Eleven Arabs are known to have died and three houses were completely demolished, while eleven others were partially destroyed. In the last two attacks on Ein Zeitim, yesterday, four Jews were wounded.

On the Tel Aviv front, where some 250 Iraqi volunteers arrived late last week and launched a three-pronged attack on the Jewish city last night, new fighting began late tonight. Several Jewish-owned houses in the Maccabi quarter, outside the Haganah defense perimeter, were set ablaze and heavy firing was heard when Jewish reinforcements hurried into the area to force the Arabs out. Yesterday’s two-hour attack by three detachments of guerrillas hit at the Manshieh and Hatikvah quarters and Givat Herzl. The Arabs killed two Jews and wounded two others, but left the field with their dead and wounded.

Clashes were frequent this week-end in and around Haifa where at least three Jews died from wounds, including a 12-year-old boy, and another half-dozen were injured. Five Jews were arrested in a dragnet following an exchange of shots between Arabs and Jews which soon involved British troops, injuring four. Several Arab Legionnaires were hurt when their truck was blown up by a mine between Haifa and Athlit. In the Negev, a Jewish convoy was ambushed and one Jew was killed and several were wounded.

The Irgun raided a cafe at Ramleh, killing and wounding several Arabs. Later, a few more Arabs were killed in a nearby village when they attempted to halt the underground fighters. The Irgunists also announced that they had made off with some 40 tons of ammunition and food from a military camp near Hadera, which they entered disguised as British soldiers.

MUFTI’S HOUSE BLASTED IN JERUSALEM; BRITISH PROTECT ARAB QUARTER

In Jerusalem the Haganah was forced to use mortars and automatic weapons to force snipers out of positions commanding Jewish areas this week-and. A Jewish demolition squad blew up the house of the ex-Mufti of Jerusalem, but his nephew, who was in the building at the time, was uninjured. Following Jewish orders to the Arabs in the Talbieh quarter, near the isolated Jewish area of Yemin Moshe, to quit their homes in that part, the British erected barbed wire barriers around the section, incorporating it into a security zone to protect the Arabs.

A mobilization order was published in the Hebrew press today calling on all Palestine Jews between 17 and 25 residing abroad to register with Palestine offices in those countries in preparation for being called into active service.

The members of the United Jewish Appeal delegation visiting Palestine have expressed the opinion that an international force is needed to implement partition and to protect the Jews there. They also asked arm for the Jews and financial assistance. The delegation was tendered a reception in Jerusalem by Jewish leaders.