The army today denied reports from Beirut that the Israel Defense Force had given an ultimatum to the Christian Phalangists to vacate a number of their headquarters in south Lebanon.
An army announcement said that one small Phalangist base in the village of Fukas east of Sidon had been ordered to close down because of what were termed “irregularities.” These were understood to have been attacks against nearby Moslem and Druze villages.
But the Beirut report spoke of widespread closure orders, and villagers were reported to be massing in village squares while church bells pealed in protest at the reported Israeli moves.
FIERCE FIGHTING IN LEBANON
Meanwhile, fierce fighting raged elsewhere in Lebanon. In Tripoli, in the north, Lebanon’s second largest city, heavy clashes were reported between pro-Syrian and anti-Syrian militia. Some 20 persons have been killed and 60 wounded in this area in recent days, according to reports.
Further south, in the Bekaa valley, proand anti-Yasir Arafat elements of the Palestine Liberation Organization continued their battles today, with heavy casualties reported on both sides.
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