Defense Minister Moshe Dayan said today that if Israel finds Syrian troops stationed on the present Lebanese border or if it seems that the situation in Lebanon endangers Israel’s security, Israel would feel, free to take action. However, he rejected the idea of Israel’s intervention to save the sovereignty of Lebanon.
Speaking to pupils of the Haifa Reali School, Dayan said that as long as the developments in Lebanon do not endanger security “I do not think that there will be any Israeli intervention.” However, he added, “if there is a Syrian intervention and Syria stations its troops on our border we will consider ourselves free to take action.”
Nevertheless, Dayan expressed doubt that Syria will intervene in Lebanon to any extent. “Syria can send over the terrorist units or the Yarmoukh Brigade (the Palestinian military formation stationed in southern Syria near the Jordanian border). But I do not think that Syria would attempt to overrun Lebanon or conquer any part of it,” he said.
Asked about the possibility of renewed warfare with Egypt and the danger to the civilian population, Dayan speculated that a new war will more or less be conducted on the same lines as the Six-Day War, namely. it will be limited to the Sinai area. Thus the centers of civilian population will be out of danger, though no assurances can be given, he said.
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