Mauritania's capital trembled to the sound of shelling Monday as renegade soldiers fought for a second day with troops loyal to the northwest African country's president, a rare Arab friend of Israel. The battle on several fronts -- in the city center, at the airport and on the southern outskirts -- followed a night of calm and came just hours after a top official announced that the coup attempt was over and the putschists arrested. It was the most serious threat to President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya since he took power in a bloodless 1984 coup. Dissident soldiers stormed the presidency Sunday, but reinforcements rolled into the usually sleepy city late in the day. Residents said the main column from the east appeared to be Taya's loyalists. "The last of the putschists have given themselves up," Information Minister Hamoud Ould M'Hamed told Reuters by phone. State radio has been off the air since a brief announcement Sunday morning to say that Taya was in full control. M'Hamed said service would resume Monday. Hospitals have struggled to cope with scores of wounded. Medical workers said they could not tell how many had been killed. Residents say they believe the uprising was staged by an armored unit and the air force. Officials say in private they suspect the involvement of an officer removed two years ago for whipping up discontent over the Israeli links. **CRACKDOWN ON ISLAMISTS*** The coup plotters have not made any public statement and it was unclear whether the attempted putsch was linked to growing political tension after a crackdown on Islamists and politicians close to ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Thirty-two Islamic leaders were charged this month with threatening national security. Police sources said they were suspected of links to a foreign network of Islamic illegal groups. ** Israel considers recall security officer from Mauritania*** The Foreign Ministry is considering recalling its security officer from the Israeli embassy in Mauritania, Israeli Radio reported Monday. There is widespread displeasure in Mauritania at Taya's longstanding ties with Israel. In 1999, Mauritania became only the third Arab League state to establish full diplomatic relations with the Jewish state. Israel has given Mauritania help with agriculture and is also building a new hospital. Diplomats say that the Israelis also provide discrete assistance with security. Taya, a former army colonel, won elections in 1992 and 1997 and has been expected to stand again later this year. Human rights groups often complain the government's methods are heavy-handed. The country of fewer than three million people supports itself through iron ore mining and fishing, but there have been recent discoveries of offshore oil reserves. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Destroyed tank in the Mauritanian capital. (Al-Jazeera)