Cuban Brigade Transferred to Syria at Russia’s Insistence

A Cuban armored brigade in Syria was transferred there several months ago at the insistence of the Soviet Union which wants to involve as many of its satellites as possible with the Damascus regime, sources here disclosed today. According to the sources, the presence of the Cuban units in Syria was known to Israeli authorities for some time but was not made public until Defense Minister Moshe Dayan made the disclosure yesterday on the NBC-TV “Meet The Press” program in Washington.

Dayan said there were also North Korean units in Syria and units from other Arab states. The sources here said the Soviet Union may also be behind the presence of certain East German elements in Syria but did not elaborate or identify those elements.

According to the sources, foreign Arab military units in Syria, Including units from Saudi Arabia, are manning front line positions and have taken an active part in recent border incidents. But the Cuban armored units, described as of brigade strength, and the North Korean pilots known to be serving with the Syrian Air force are there mainly for morale boosting purposes and on training and instructional assignments, the sources said.

CUBAN PRESENCE SURROGATE FOR USSR’S PRESENCE

Political analysts in Jerusalem are convinced that the Cuban military presence in Syria has the blessings of Moscow, if not there actually at Moscow’s behest. They say it is inconceivable that Cuba would involve itself in a military adventure on the other side of the world without Russian approval or instigation. They say. in fact, that the Cuban presence in Syria may be a surrogate for an actual Soviet presence.

According to the analysts, Moscow may be signalling the U.S. by the presence of its satellites in Syria that the USSR will not allow a major Syrian defeat. The Cuban presence also has an inhibiting effect on any offensive action Israel may contemplate to silence Syrian guns on the northern front. Such action could lead to a clash with Communist forces, something Israel is trying to avoid. The Cabinet will meet in special session Wednesday to discuss the situation on the Syrian front. Defense Minister Dayan is expected to report on his trip to Washington.

But Syria, too. is reportedly being pushed in different directions by its Arab allies. The Egyptian Minister of War, Field Marshall Ahmed Ismail Ali. arrived in Damascus yesterday, apparently to convince President Hafez Assad to enter into disengagement negotiations with Israel. Several hours later, the Libyan Minister of Information. Ahmed Makassbi, showed up in the Syrian capital, presumably to urge an opposite course.