6 IDF Soldiers Wounded in Lebanon

Six Israeli soldiers were wounded in south Lebanon today, none seriously, when an Israel Defense Force post near Nobatiye was fired on with Kalachnikov assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades. According to the unit commander, six terrorists appeared from over a hill and opened fire on the position, cutting an army tent to shreds. The Israeli soldiers returned the fire.

An IDF position near Adweir and the IDF liaison office in Nabatiye also came under close-range automatic rifle and rocket fire in two other incidents today. There were no casualties.

The latest attacks occurred as units of the Lebanese regular army were reported to have encamped just north of the port city of Sidon, ready to take over the positions to be evacuated by the IDF. The last Israeli soldiers are expected to be out of Sidon by next Monday.

SLA MOVES OUT OF SIDON

But units of the Israel-backed South Lebanon Army (SLA) moved out of Sidon yesterday and out of Jarjua, to the south. The SLA evacuation preceded that of the IDF to protect its soldiers from possible reprisals for collaborating with Israel.

About 25 of the SLA men were reported to have deserted the retreating force to remain in Sidon to protect their families. Desertions from the SLA have been on the increase since the IDF withdrawal began.

Large-scale defections are feared by the Shiite Moslem members of the largely Christian force which Israel hoped would patrol a 10-kilometer wide strip along its border after the IDF pull-out from Lebanon is completed.

At the moment, it seems that Lebanese regulars will replace the IDF, at least in Sidon. Two battalions of the Lebanese army moved south from Beirut last night and are bivouacked around the Awali River bridges just north of Sidon. A Lebanese spokesman said the force consists of a 700-800 man armored battalion equipped with French-made MX tanks and an infantry battalion.

The combined strength is about 1,500 men and they are expected to be joined by at least one battalion of the permanent garrison in Sidon within hours of the final Israeli departure.

TRYING TO ENSURE SAFETY OF THE POPULATION

While the IDF is completing the first stage of its three-stage withdrawal from south Lebanon precisely on schedule, it is trying its best to ensure the safety of the local population and protect its own men. IDF units searched Toura village about 10 kilometers northeast of Tyre yesterday and detained several residents. Toura is a base for Shiite attacks on the IDF.

Chief of Staff Gen. Moshe Levy and other senior officers visited El Khiyan village near the border yesterday. They warned the inhabitants not to allow terrorists or guerrillas to make use of the village for attacks on the IDF or on Israel. Two Israeli soldiers were killed in the border region this week.

ATTACKS WON’T AFFECT WITHDRAWAL

Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin declared in the Knesset yesterday that recent attacks on the IDF will not affect the withdrawal process. Replying to 12 agenda motions on the subject, he said that the decision to pull out of south Lebanon was the best of available options though not without drawbacks.

Rabin maintained that the escalation of attacks on the IDF was not a consequence of the withdrawal decision, noting that the attacks occurred mainly in those areas still occupied by the IDF.

Rabin disclosed that the Druze in the Shouf mountains are no longer taking steps to prevent the infiltration of terrorists across the Awali River and are even cooperating with their erstwhile enemies, the Shiites. The Defense Minister reiterated that he could not promise that terrorist rockets will never again fall on Galilee. He maintained, however, that it was more effective for the IDF to adopt an offensive strategy of retaliation instead of static defense in which every soldier is a target of terrorist attack inside Lebanon.