After nine days of low level skirmishing, the LTTE rebels renewed their offensive in the north, advancing from several directions on the demoralized army units defending the city of Jaffna. Sri Lanka has received new supplies of arms and ammunition fro an unidentified foreign nation. The government recently restored diplomatic relations with Israel and has hosted a Russian military sales delegation recently. The government reported that losses in the Jaffna battles of the last three weeks now totaled 358 soldiers dead, 349 missing and 2,368 wounded. Rebel losses are not known exactly, but are probably heavy as the rebels favor aggressive attacks and bold movements on the battlefield. The rebels are more willing to take casualties to gain a battlefield advantage and that is the major reason why they are winning.