The
Yishuv forces quickly managed to take control of buildings that the British had nationalized in "Bevingrad" zones. These were heavily fortified security zones that the British had built up around key installations in the city to protect against Irgun attacks. From 1946 to 1948, security zones with huge coils of
barbed wire filling the streets and
dragon's teeth blocking the incursion of armed vehicles began appearing around Jerusalem. One such zone, established in 1946, encompassed the eastern end of Jaffa Road and included the
Russian Compound, the Anglo-Palestine Bank, the
Central Post Office, and the
Generali Building. On Friday, 14 May 1948, the Irgun forces headed for the Bevingrad on Jaffa Road. The first building they captured was the Generali Building, now evacuated. The Irgun forces hoisted the Israeli flag over the lion statue on the roof before moving on to take control of the Russian Compound and the Police Academy further north. They also captured the Notre Dame Church, the
American Colony,
Sheikh Jarrah,
Talbiya,
German Colony,
Baka,
Talpiot, and the
Greek Colony. A large portion of what was captured was to become the Israeli-controlled portion of Jerusalem—"
West Jerusalem"—but some of the heaviest battles of the
1948 Arab-Israeli war were to follow and the Jerusalem frontier was to be redrawn many times. ==See also==