Movement of Missiles Considered Grave Violation of Cease-fire; Carried out in Few Hours

High-level consultations have been held here on what is considered a grave violation of the cease-fire by Egypt and her Soviet advisors in moving SAM-2 and SAM-3 rockets up to the cease-fire line after the shooting halt took effect. The operation appears to have been carried out in an astonishingly short time, under cover of the few hours of darkness between the cease-fire commencement at midnight last Friday local time (I a.m. Saturday Cairo time) and the first rays of dawn, when Israeli pilots could detect any movement. The Egyptians, apparently acting on the advice of their Soviet aides, pushed forward 30 or more trucks loaded with both SAM-2 and SAM-3 surface-to-air missiles and deployed the rockets at a distance of 30 to 40 kilometers (19 to 29 miles) west of the Suez Canal, or within the proscribed 50 kilometer (31-mile) distance. When morning came, there were the new missile bases in position, in the central sector of the canal between the Cairo-Ismailia and Cairo-Suez roads.

The implication of the move is a most serious one to Israel, according to observers. From 30 to 40 kilometers, the Egyptians can threaten Israeli air activity not only west of the Suez but even along a stretch of land east of the Suez, in the Israeli-held Sinai Peninsula. Thus, according to some foreign sources, Israeli freedom of action in the air could be curtailed if not ended in the area. The Egyptians had been trying very hard to make this missile advance, but were prevented by continued Israeli attacks on missile bases before the cease-fire. Whenever Egypt did manage to put new bases closer to the canal, Israel attacked them. Cairo’s declared aim was to cross the canal and regain the Sinai, but it could not do that without air superiority. Its hope is that by menacing the Israeli Air Force, it will be in a position to try to establish a Sinai bridgehead, enjoying the protection offered by their SAMs. Thus, the Israeli anxiety and the hectic approaches to the United States to relieve the situation, sources here note. The Americans, it is felt, can force the missiles back or tell Israel how to meet the new threat. Whichever way is chosen, the ball is now in the hands of the White House–at a time when the gap between Israel and the U.S., especially in terms of public opinion here, is growing at a serious rate.