New Israeli incursion into town in West Bank, witnesses say

JERUSALEM - Israeli troops and tanks have made a new incursion in the West Bank, in the southern town of Dora, witness reports say.

The news agency AP reports that witnesses in Dora say tanks and armoured personnel carriers rolled into the town before dawn as helicopters provided cover from the air. The sound of gunbattles could be heard, witnesses said.

The news follows moves by Israeli forces to leave the two West Bank cities of Qalqilya and Tulkarm after United States President George W Bush's tough message to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to start a pull-out from Palestinian areas.