Artillery Duels Seen in Israel As Disastrous to Egyptian Egyptian Economy and Military

Two days of fierce artillery duels across the Suez Canal which Israel says Cairo initiated in an apparently deliberate attempt to create a new war scare in the Middle East, has had disastrous consequences for Egypt, a military spokesman said today.

The chief of staff of Egypt’s armed forces, Lt. Gen. Abdel Moneim Riad, 50, regarded as Egypt’s most competent military leader, was killed. At least nine oil storage tanks at Port Suez near the canal’s southern end went up in flames, destroying an estimated 27,000 tons of fuel. Three Egyptian ships at Port Ibrahim on the Gulf of Suez were hit by Israeli shells and one was set afire. A fertilizer plant adjacent to the damaged oil refineries and Egyptian army encampments and artillery positions were also hit and seriously damaged. There was no estimate of casualties to Egyptian military personnel but they are believed to have been heavy.

Israeli losses included three soldiers killed and 14 wounded. Israel admitted that a Piper Cub spotter plane was shot down by Egyptian anti-aircraft fire. It crashed in Israel-held territory and the pilot was killed.

(Gen. Riad was given a hero’s funeral in Cairo today. The procession was led by a grim-visaged President Gamal Abdel Nasser as throngs pressed against police lines shouting for “revenge,” it was reported in Jerusalem. The foreign ministers of 13 Arab League states met in the Egyptian capital to deal with political and diplomatic issues. Lt. Gen. Odd Bull, chief of the United Nations cease-fire observers corps, flew to Cairo from Jerusalem for a meeting at the request of Egyptian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Riad. Egyptian diplomatic sources said Gen. Bull would be asked to warn Israel that the fighting along the Suez Canal might have “grave consequences.” Egypt claims that Israel started the artillery duel in violation of the cease-fire and shelled civilian areas. Gen. Bull has already informed the UN that the fire-fight was initiated by Egypt. Fighting took place all along the canal from Qantara to Suez.)

Israeli military circles had high professional regard for Gen. Riad who was named Chief of Staff by President Nasser after Egypt’s disastrous defeat in the Six-Day War. He was killed while personally inspecting Egyptian artillery positions at Ismailia early Sunday morning.

Israeli military sources said it was unusual for a nation’s top military leader to be at the front lines at such an early hour and that it indicated that the Egyptian artillery attack was deliberately planned and ordered by the highest authorities and was not the result of a skirmish that was escalated on the initiative of local commanders. Israeli circles believe that other high ranking Egyptian officers may have been killed or wounded in the burst of Israeli tank fire across the 150 yard-wide Suez Canal which killed Gen. Riad. They said the Egyptian Chief of Staff was not likely to have been on his inspection tour alone and probably was accompanied by headquarters staff officers.

Israeli military circles also indicated that Egyptian shipping in the Gulf of Suez was a target of their artillery for the first time. A spokesman said the hits scored on three vessels were a reminder to Egypt that Israel had the power to blockade Port Suez and Fort Ibrahim. They pointed out that Egypt would have immense difficulties if it was forced to rely on land transport to bring supplies from the south that ordinarily would be carried by ship.

Although the fire exchange involved thousands of rounds of ammunition and hundreds of weapons, Israeli troops were spared the heavy casualties of last October’s heavy canal battle when 15 were killed and 31 injured. Since that battle, concrete bunkers and underground fortifications have been built.

(Both sides filed several letters with the Security Council blaming each other for starting the fighting.)

(In Washington, the Government deplored the violation of the United Nations cease-fire, especially since “lives were lost in such skirmishes,” State Department spokesman Robert J. McCloskey said today. He was asked at a press conference to comment on the artillery duel. Mr. McCloskey confirmed that Israel Foreign Minister Abba Eban will meet with Secretary of State William P. Rogers on Wednesday. He had no information on a report that King Hussein of Jordan plans a trip to Washington. On the status of the Big Four talks on the Mideast, Mr. McCloskey said such talks had not yet been scheduled.