Fighting Heavy on Several Fronts; Israeli Casualties High in Past Two Weeks

An Egyptian raiding party planted Katyusha rocket launchers on the east shore of the Gulf of Suez and fled early today. The launchers were found and dismantled by Israeli forces after a series of explosions were heard between five and six a.m. local time. There were no casualties or damage reported. The Katyusha launchers were planted in the hull of a partly sunken boat a few yards off the beach near A Tur. They were equipped with timing devices that fired the rockets. The Katyusha launcher is a Russian-made weapon favored by Arab guerrillas because of its light weight and mobility. Two Arab women were killed by hand grenades in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip today and an Arab man was killed in Gaza when a grenade was thrown at a busload of workers. Nine were injured. An explosive charge was detonated at the Beni Souheileh High school in Gaza this morning without causing casualties.

An Israeli Army unit crossed the Lebanese border today and blew up a house in Houleh village said to belong to terrorist collaborators. The building was less than two miles from Margaliot, an Israeli village recently attacked by guerrillas from Lebanon. Two Israeli soldiers were killed and ten were wounded in the Suez Canal zone Friday and a third soldier was killed and another wounded Saturday in a clash with Arab guerrillas in Upper Galilee near the Lebanese border. Five Arab saboteurs were killed in two encounters in that region. Two of the dead Israelis identified were Pvt. Joseph Turovitz, killed in the guerrilla clash, and Pvt. Yehuda Ohayon, 18 of Yavne, killed during a heavy artillery exchange with Egyptian forces across the northern section of the Suez Canal.

In the past two weeks, 27 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 61 wounded in intensified fighting in the canal zone. Observers noted that 27 fatalities for Israel is equivalent to 2400 American military deaths in relation to total population. (Meanwhile, U.S. diplomats have reportedly concluded that a Middle East settlement is farther away than ever, even if there is no resumption of all-out war. The Americans believe that Moscow will not push the Arabs toward a compromise accord, it was learned.) The first clash near the Lebanese border yesterday occurred near Mt. Eviatar where a group of guerrillas was found hiding in the dense vegetation. One was killed in the first burst of fire. The others were pursued and three were eventually gunned down. The fifth guerrilla was killed trying to recross the Lebanese border. Several Russian-made Kalashnikov rifles were found on the bodies along with sabotage equipment and small El Fatah flags. Ashdod Yaacov was attacked three times last night.