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Israeli Helicopter Hits Arafat's Office Compound VOA News 20 Feb 2002 05:59 UTC 
The Israeli military has carried out strikes against offices of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and other targets in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, killing at least nine guards and policemen.
The strikes followed the killing of six Israeli soldiers Tuesday in an ambush in an Israeli occupied area of the West Bank.
The Palestinian Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade - a militant group linked to Mr. Arafat's Fatah faction - claimed responsibility for killing the soldiers at an Israeli military check point.
In the West Bank, an Israeli helicopter fired a missile into the office compound in Ramallah, where Mr. Arafat has been confined by Israeli forces since December. Palestinian officials Mr. Arafat and his aides were not injured in the attack. E arlier, Palestinian officials say, five Palestinian policemen where killed when Israeli tanks shelled the town of Nablus. Ramallah was also shelled.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli warships fired missiles at Mr. Arafat's office, Killing four members of his elite guard, Force-17. Minutes later, an Israeli F-16 fighter jet launched missiles at the Palestinian police headquarters in Gaza City, and Israeli helicopters also fired rockets at other targets there.
Some information for this report provided by Reuters and AFP.
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