Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion was understood to have told a three-hour emergency meeting of the Israel Cabinet last night that Israel could not permit Syria to alter by force the status quo of Lake Tiberias which is wholly within Israeli territory.
He said Syria apparently was seeking by use of force to make the lake a dividing line between the two countries. He also expressed the belief that the renewed Syrian attacks in the area were aimed at Israel’s plans to use some Jordan River water for its irrigation projects. The Prime Minister reportedly emphasized the explosive nature of the situation and the need for security precautions.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Golda Meir met with envoys of the United States, Soviet Union, Britain and France to convey Israel’s determination not to yield to an evident Syrian attempt to change the status quo in the area by force, an attempt which would encroach on Israeli sovereignty.
The Israel-Syrian border situation remained tense today as Syria stepped up air activities with at least two air sorties over Israel which were halted by Israeli jets. Israeli military sources reported that the nervous Syrians used anti-aircraft guns against their own aircraft at least once.
Syrian jets flew over the plateau on the western side of Lake Tiberias apparently for photographic reconaissance, but fled when Israeli planes approached. The Israeli communique did not indicate whether an air battle took place. Israeli aircraft meanwhile maintained a continuous air patrol along the Syrian border with orders to prevent any further violations of Israeli air space by the Syrians.
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