Sri Lanka’s civil war appeared to have resumed in all but name on Wednesday as Tamil Tigers attacked three army camps and pushed into government territory while the military said dozens of rebels were killed.

A 2002 ceasefire between the two sides still holds on paper, but a battle last week over a rebel-held water supply has spread to nearby areas in the northeastern Trincomalee district, with both sides exchanging artillery fire and fighting on the ground.

‘‘This is a war,’’ said a policeman at a heavily-defended government roadblock just west of the conflict area. ‘‘They are attacking our soldiers and people and we are attacking them.’’

Multi-barrelled government rocket fire lit up the night sky while jets resumed bombing raids on Tiger positions for an eighth day. Reporters saw trucks transporting two Russian-made T-52 battle tanks and tonnes of supplies to the area.

The military said five servicemen, two civilians and more than 40 Tigers were killed on Wednesday, but that the rebels had left the bodies of only a few behind. The Tigers dismissed the claim as ‘‘desperate’’, but gave no details of casualties.

Diplomats say the military may overestimate rebel casualties and understate their own losses. After earlier denials, the military said on Wednesday that about seven sailors died in an artillery attack on Trincomalee naval base the day before.

The military said the rebels attacked three camps before dawn on Wednesday but that they were repulsed. A diplomatic source said the rebels appeared to have bypassed Army camps to move fighters into the town of Mutur, south of Trincomalee harbour.

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