 On the other front , the forces divided in two parts . The infantry of the 71st rapidly took the monastery and then fought for the control of the town . On the other side , the Israeli artillery succeeded in neutralizing the fort 's weapons . The volunteers crossed the defence fence and their flame @-@ throwers took the defenders by surprise . Nevertheless , the light coming from the fire they created lost their cover and they became easy targets for the 60 @-@ millimetre ( 2 @.@ 4 in ) mortars of the Jordanians . They were quickly knocked out and destroyed . The sappers succeeded nevertheless to make the door explode , but in the confusion were not followed by the infantrymen . Chaim Laskov , the chief of operations on that front , ordered company D of the 71st Battalion ( that had been kept in reserve ) to intervene , but one of the soldiers accidentally exploded a landmine , killing three men and injuring several others . They were then attacked by heavy fire from the Jordanian artillery and the men retreated towards the west in panic . 
