TEHRAN The Israeli Army early Monday moved in with "many tanks" to reoccupy the autonomous Palestinian town of Tulkarm in the north of the West Bank, Tulkarm Governor Ezzedin al-Sharif told AFP.

"The Israeli tanks moved in through the northern, western and southern entrances to the town and deployed in the center of Tulkarm," the governor said.

The soldiers occupied several houses after forcing the residents to leave, he said. The governor did not know whether arrests had been made or if there had been casualties during the operation.

Israeli state radio quoting military officials confirmed that Tulkarm had been re-occupied by infantry units and armor backed by helicopters. The troops imposed a curfew on the town and told residents through loudspeakers to stay at home.

The radio said soldiers had entered several buildings and started making arrests.

Arafat said on Monday that Israel had "crossed all red lines" when it sent its tanks and troops into the Palestinian-ruled city.

"This is a very dangerous thing. This is an implementation of the Israeli plan of aggression on the Palestinian national authority," he told reporters in Ramallah, where Israeli forces surround his offices and prevent him from leaving the city.

"They have crossed all red lines and our people cannot stand with their eyes closed to these Israeli attempts, and the proof of this is the strong and firm steadfastness of our people in Tulkarm, especially in Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camp."

Meanwhile, a top Palestinian official called Monday for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council after Israeli tanks and troops took over large parts of the northern West Bank town of Tulkarm.

"We are calling for an urgent meeting of the Security Council to stop Israel's dangerous aggression, especially the re-occupation of our cities," Nabil abu Rudeina told AFP.

"We condemn Israel's re-occupation of Tulkarm which is a major aggression against Palestinian society and the Palestinian Authority. If Israel continues there will be an explosion of violence" in the region, he warned.

Israeli tanks penetrated to the center of Tulkarm, on the boundary with Israel, at dawn Thursday, three days after tanks moved into positions outside Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat's offices in Ramallah to the south.

A Palestinian teenager was shot dead during gunfights that rocked Tulkarm on Monday after Israeli tanks and troops re-occupied large parts of the northern West Bank, Palestinian hospital officials said.

Khaldun Maarik, 19, died after being shot in the head. Nine other Palestinians were injured in the fighting, including a 42-year-old man, Jamal Hasuneh, who was clinically dead, hospital officials said. Also, UN special envoy to the Middle East Terje Roed-Larsen branded Israel's re-occupation of the Palestinian town of Tulkarm on Monday a "dangerous escalation" that would lead to further loss of life.

He called on Israel to rapidly withdraw the troops and tanks which poured into the town at dawn and to lift its tight restrictions on Ramallah, where tanks have taken up positions outside Arafat's headquarters.

Roed-Larsen said in a statement the invasion of Tulkarm "Constituted a dangerous escalation that would lead to more loss of life on both sides."

He urged Israel to move straight into the internationally approved Mitchell Plan, which provides a step-by-step blueprint for scaling back 16 months of violence.