REBELS ENTER PALESTINE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 143, 19 May 1941, Page 7

REBELS ENTER PALESTINE.

BATTLE DEVELOPING NEAR. BASRA. LONDON, May 17. The Baghdad radio claims that some ol Rashid Ali’s troops have penetrated into Palestine after overcoming a British force which crossed the frontier into Iraq. The Iraqis claim that they seized the heights overlooking Nablus (28 miles from Jerusalem), •where Palestine Arab rebels are joining them. An Iraqi communique claims that troops arc attacking the British positions near Basra, yvhere a big battle is developing. The lirst otlicial mention of German aircraft in action in Iraq is contained in an R.A.F..Middle East communique. which states: ".In-Iraq a number of German aircraft were machinegunned at the aerodrome at Mosul. A Heinkei yvas set on fire and destroyed ci.iid other aircraft were damaged. Petrol tanks were successfully bombed at Aniara bv aircraft ol the Fleet Air Arm. The K.A.F. station at Habbaniyeh yvas raided by a formation of Heinkels supported by Messerschmitt 110 s. The damage caused yvas slight and, there were few casualties. The Mcsser6ohmitts also machine-gunned an ambulance on the plateau.'’ The Cairo representative of the British United Press says Rashid Ali has released all political prisoners, including Hiknat Sulaiman, who has been appointed Iraqi Ambassador in Russia. The Tokio neyvspaper Yomiuri Shim--I,mi states that a Russian-German combine to defend Iraq is bein" con " sidered. It was reliably learned that Russia has invited the Afghanistan Foreign Minister to visit Moscow. The Istanbul correspondent oi the British United Press says Turkey has taken suitable measures along her eastern and southern frontiers _ since flic latest developments in the Middle East. Axis sources in Istanbul declare that the German Ambassador (Herr von Pa pen) lias offered Turkov some Greek islands off the Turkish coast ! Turkey will co-operate with the Axis.