Three Israeli naval commandos were killed last night when their vessel exploded after sinking two Russian-made Egyptian torpedo boats at their moorings off the Ras Sadat naval base on the Red Sea, 15 miles south of the Suez Canal. The Egyptian boats each carried a crew of 20 men and were armed with cannon, torpedos and radar. They had been used in mining and other sabotage activities on the Israeli-held shores of the Sinai peninsula.
A military spokesman said the Israeli commandos were returning to their base when one of their boats developed technical difficulties resulting in a fire which touched off an explosive charge.
An Arab saboteur was killed and three were captured last night in an encounter with an Israeli patrol in the Gaza Strip. The saboteurs were armed with pistols and hand grenades.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
