Israel Air Force jets resumed their pounding of Egyptian targets in the northern section of the Suez Canal zone this morning. A military spokesman said that since Wednesday morning, the Israeli pilots had logged 19 hours of combat flying over the waterway and knocked out all land approaches to Port Said at the canal’s northern entrance. He denied Cairo’s claim that two Israeli planes were shot down. Israeli fighters downed three Egyptian MIG-21s over the canal yesterday. Four Israeli soldiers were killed in the canal zone in artillery exchanges with the Egyptians yesterday and during the night. The names of three of the dead were released today. They are Pvt. Shaul Daviko, 20, of Holon; Corp. David Almani, 38, of Haifa, and Lance Corp. Nahum Moulek, 19, of Herzliah. Israel Air Force jets went after Jordanian and Iraqi artillery positions in Jordan yesterday. They blasted targets on the Gilead Heights overlooking the Beisan Valley. The air attacks followed the long-range shelving of Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, the first time that city came under fire. Two Israeli were killed–Mrs. Masouda Benchaim, a mother of five, and Jacob Jouma, father of three. They were buried this afternoon. Tiberias was hit from a range of 26 kilometers (16 miles). Jordan claimed the town was shelled in retaliation for the Israeli shelling of Irbid village early yesterday. Irbid, where Jordanian and Iraqi artillery batteries are concentrated, was attacked by Israeli artillery following a fatal rocket attack on Beisan township yesterday morning in which two Israeli schoolgirls were killed and 16 children and adults were wounded. Israeli officials are said to view the shelling of Tiberias with “utmost gravity and consider it a serious escalation in the fighting. Though only a short distance from the Beisan Valley settlements which have been constant targets of guerrillas and regulars shooting from Jordan, Tiberias so far had been spared.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.