Israeli sources said today that they have known for some time that the portable Soviet-made ground-to-air missiles of the “Strela” type with which Arab terrorists planned to attack an El Al airliner in Rome yesterday, have been part of the equipment of Egyptian and Syrian regular army units and are also in the possession of terrorists.
The sources said this was learned six months ago when it was reported from foreign quarters that the missiles were part of the large Soviet weapons shipments to Syria. The missile can be fired from a shoulder launcher similar to a bazooka. It was used by the Viet Cong in South Vietnam and was reported some time ago in the hands of terrorists based in southern Lebanon.
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