Premier Menachem Begin today denied reports that appeared in some American print and television media that he informed President Reagan’s special Middle East envoy Philip Habib that Israel would bomb Syrian missiles in Lebanon within two weeks unless they were removed. According to one report on CBS News, Begin reportedly told “a number of visitors” recently that he informed Habib of his intentions.
However, Begin told Rep. Jack Kemp (R. NY) in a meeting here today that Israel will give Habib the necessary time to mediate in the missile crisis as long as the U.S. envoy can prove that he has a chance of succeeding in his mission. “So far, there are signs that there are certain results to these (Habib’s) efforts,” Begin said. However, he added that the time given to solve the crisis was not unlimited and that the time available should not be wasted. (See related story from Washington Pg. 2.)
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