Arab infiltrators and saboteurs stepped up their activities on three of Israel’s borders this weekend — near Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.
The most serious of the incidents took place about 630 yards from the Syrian border, when a tractor being driven toward Kibbutz Shamir hit a mine, seriously wounding the Israeli driver. The site of the blast was near the Syrian gun post of Darbashyia.
On the Jordanian border, infiltrators surprised a night watchman, robbed him of his watch and money, and started to abduct him. However, the watchman was released when the infiltrators reached the border and escaped into Jordan.
On the Lebanese frontier, Lebanese soldiers drove off a flock of 100 sheep, taking the sheep across the Lebanese border. The sheep belong to Kibbutz Margaliyot. Today, Lebanese authorities notified Israel, through the U.N. Mixed Armistice Commission, that the sheep will be returned.
Meanwhile, a serious wreck was narrowly averted this weekend when the engineer of the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem train discovered heavy logs had been placed on the tracks at a point about nine miles from the Jordanian border. The barricade could have derailed the train, but the engineer found it possible to halt the locomotive in time. Seven young Arabs who were part of a Bedouin encampment nearby were arrested by Israeli authorities on suspicion of having placed the logs across the railroad tracks.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
