— Israel is attempting to de-escalate the fighting in south Lebanon by applying pressure on Maj. Saad Haddad to restrain his Christian forces’ artillery attacks that have caused civilian casualties in Palestinian-held towns. It is also reining in some of its own military activities in the region and is seeking to improve relations with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
(In Washington, State Department spokesman Dean Fischer said today that the United States has “no evidence of any violation of arms transfers” by the Israelis to the Christians in south Lebanon. On the situation in Lebanon, Fischer said the U.S. has been appealing for an end to the violence but so far there are “no tangible results. We feel all parties in this debate should exert maximum restraint,” he said.)
Premier Menachem Begin, acting in his capacity as Defense Minister, ordered the army today to do all it can to restore quiet in the border area. He met yesterday with UNIFIL commander Gen. William Gallaghan and promised that Israel would exert what influence it could on Haddad to reduce the violence and tension. He also said the Israeli armed forces would seek to avoid unpleasant incidents with UNIFIL personnel such as have occurred in the past. UNIFIL, for its part, reported that it opened fire last night on a group of Palestinian terrorists setting up a Katyusha rocket launcher in south Lebanon and thereby prevented an attack on Israel.
CONCERN OVER WORSENING CONDITION
The government’s concern with the worsening situation in south Lebanon was expressed by Deputy Premier Yigael Yadin. According to Israel Radio, Yadin has warned his fellow ministers in recent days that “various factors on the ground, including some Israeli elements” might drag the country into a much deeper and broader involvement in Lebanon than the government intends.” By “Israeli elements” Yadin appeared to be referring to certain senior army officers who have been pressing for a larger and more direct Israeli involvement.
The “various factors” was a clear reference to Haddad’s forces. Yadin was reported by Israel Radio to have noted that the Christian bombardment of the Lebanese coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon this week which caused civilian deaths and injuries, used shells “supplied by the Israel army.”
Haddad himself is in a Haifa hospital recuperating from exhaustion. His artillery was much less active yesterday then it had been in the preceding days. Israeli artillery was also used sparingly. There was no response to a salvo of Katyusha rockets that landed in an agricultural region of northern Galilee before down today. No casualties or damage were reported but local residents were advised to spend the night in bomb shelters.
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.
