Israel Attacks Syrian Missile Batteries in Beka Valley, Claims Some 20 Syrian Jets Shot Down

Defense Minister Ariel Sharon confirmed tonight that Israel aircraft attacked Syrian anti-aircraft missile installations in the Beka Valley of Eastern Lebanon today. He claimed the missile bases were destroyed and that Israeli planes shot down at least 20 Syrian jets with out sustaining any losses.

All Israeli aircraft returned safely to their bases, Sharon said at a press conference at Safad in Galilee. Damascus acknowledged the air battle and claimed 35 Israeli planes had been shot down.

Sharon described the attack on the missile installations as the “turning point” in the fighting in Lebanon. He said that within a few hours all Israeli towns and settlements in northern Israel would be out of range of terrorist rocket and artillery attacks from Lebanon.

Sharon said the decision to attack the Syrian missiles was taken at a special Cabinet meeting this morning because the Galilee panhandle region was still in range of Katyusha rockets and Palestinian artillery sited in the Syrian-held areas of eastern Lebanon known as “Fatahland.” Sharon said Israel had tried hard to avoid any conflict with the Syrians and had been passing messages to Damascus through various channels urging them to keep out of the fighting.

But, according to Sharon, the Syrians attempted to intervene in support of the Palestinians and were using their aircraft to attack Israeli ground forces.

DAMOUR CAPTURED

Earlier today, Israeli sources announced the capture of Damour, a Palestinian stronghold on the Mediterranean coast about six miles south of Beirut. Unconfirmed reports said Israeli forces had entered the outskirts of Beirut. In attacking the Syrian SAM-6 missile sites in the Beka Valley, Israel took the action it had been threatening for more than a year. When the missiles were deployed in eastern Lebanon in April, 1981, after Israeli jets shot down two Syrian helicopters, Israel threatened to destroy them if they were not removed. The crisis prompted President Reagan to call veteran diplomat Philip Habib out of retirement to defuse the situation.

Habib, now on his sixth mission to the region at the behest of Reagan, arrived in Damascus from Jerusalem today only hours before the Israeli air attack on the missile bases. He was reportedly conveying Israel’s conditions for ending the fighting in Lebanon.

The escalation of fighting came after an earlier briefing by a military spokesman here indicated that Israeli forces had slowed down their for ward movement in Lebanon and were consolidating positions and mopping up pockets of Palestinian resistance.

Israel has not yet acknowledged reported ground clashes with Syrian forces. But a military spokesman claimed at noon today that Israeli fighters had downed another Syrian jet in a dogfight over Beirut and that a Syrian combat helicopter was destroyed when it attempted to interfere with Israeli ground forces near Lake Karoun in the Syrian-occupied eastern sector of Lebanon.

Israeli military spokesmen have so for given few details of the fighting in Lebanon. The local media is relying on reports from Lebanon, from Arab sources and the foreign news media which have correspondents at the battle scene.

RESERVES CALLED UP

According to those reports, Israeli armored columns were within a few kilometers of the main Beirut-Damascus highway today and had some armed contact with Syrian forces. The Israelis need only to advance those few kilometers to cut the highway, isolating Beirut and the Syrian forces in and near the Lebanese capital, the reports said. They are also in a position to link forces with the right-wing Christian Phalangists who fought bitter battles with the Syrians several months ago.

Israel meanwhile has called up its reserves and was said to be massing troops on the Golan Heights to counter a possible Syrian attack on its forces in Lebanon. Men of military age were said to be conspicuous by their absence in the streets of Israeli cities today.

The various media reports indicate that on the fourth day since Israel invaded Lebanon at noon Sunday, its forces have advanced more, than double the 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the border that Premier Menachem Begin said was their objective. Begin assured President Reagan Sunday that the sole aim of the Lebanese action, dubbed “Operation Peace for Galilee” was to push Palestinian forces beyond rocket and artillery range of northern Israel. That objective was apparently achieved after the first day of fighting when Palestinian attacks on Israeli towns and settlements in Galilee virtually ceased.

Begin has also repeatedly urged Syria to stay out of the fighting and promised President Hafez Assad that if he complied, the Syrian army would not be engaged by Israel. Reports yesterday indicated that the Israeli forces were taking pains to avoid contact with Syrian units, although the Israelis reportedly have shot down at least seven Syrian jets since the fighting began. A warning was reportedly also sent to King Hussein of Jordan today to stay out of the fighting.

A military spokesman announced today that as of noon yesterday, Israeli casualties in Lebanon amounted to 31 dead, 144 wounded, seven missing and one downed pilot taken prisoner. There was no mention of Palestinian casualties. The area of Lebanon now under Israeli control covers about 1100 square kilometers which contains nearly a half million inhabitants. Maj. Saad Haddod, Commander of the Israeli-backed Christian militia said he has taken over villages newly occupied by Israeli forces.

According to Lebanese reports, Israeli naval and air units have been active in the area of Tripoli, Lebanon’s second largest city and an important sea port, oil refinery and pipeline terminal in the extreme north of the country.