Deputy Premier Yigael Yadin pledged in the Knesset yesterday that Israel will continue to support Christian villagers in southern Lebanon against the “barbaric” attacks of Palestinian leftists and terrorists. But he stressed that the government’s policy was to maintain peace along the northern border, indicating that it does not intend to interfere in the south Lebanon situation at this time.
Yadin spoke in his capacity as acting Defense Minister in reply to a motion by Likud MK Amnon Lin. Lin wanted to know why the army did not intervene last week when Syrian-backed Al Saiqa terrorists captured the strategic Christian village of Ras A-Maroun only a mile from the Israeli border.
He noted that Israel’s policy has always been that it would not tolerate the presence of Syrian forces south of the Litani River. Informed sources in Tel Aviv said today that Israel does not regard the Al Saiqa presence in the border region as a threat to its security. “Even four Saiqa brigades won’t endanger Israel,” they said.
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.
