Arab capitals were making much today of an alleged Egyptian commando raid on Israeli positions deep in the Sinai Peninsula which Israel claims never took place. According to Cairo, Egyptian forces using helicopters for the first time, struck 50 miles into Israel-held territory Sunday, surprised Israeli troops and caused considerable casualties and damage. Cairo radio described the raid as a “turning point” in Arab strikes against Israel and claimed that the Sinai would become a trap for Israeli forces.
Newspapers and radio broadcasts in Damascus and Beirut hailed the Egyptian “victory.” Israeli authorities said no raid took place. They said what apparently happened was that an Egyptian plane fired rockets at an abandoned railroad station near a paramilitary settlement about 50 miles east of the Suez Canal and probably dropped some incendiary bombs and ditched their extra fuel tanks. But there were no targets to be hit in the area, according to the Israelis. They said that if the Egyptian pilots reported otherwise they probably did so out of fear of disappointing their superiors. The attack represented the deepest penetration of the Sinai since the 1967 was.
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