Israeli tanks and troops moved towards the center of Ramallah, in the West Bank, early Monday, Palestinian security sources said on Monday.
The Israeli army started the incursion in the early morning from the north of the city which was followed by the movement into the east and the south. As they moved close to the Amari refugee camp, heavy clashes were sparked between Palestinian security officials and Israeli soldiers.
Israeli military sources confirmed the operation underway which,they said, aimed at arresting a few terrorist suspects.
The incursion came shortly before Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's meeting with the United States President George W. Bush in Washington.
Last Thursday, Israeli forces raided the compound of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in Ramallah after a Palestinian suicide bombing killed 17 people in the north of Israel.
(Xinhua News Agency June 10, 2002)
