The Israel Cabinet discussed today the new tactics of Syrian terrorists expressed this weekend in the firing of mortar shells into Israel from Lebanese territory. Reports were given at the Cabinet meeting by Acting Chief of Staff of Israel’s Army, Brigadier General Ezer Weizmann and by Foreign Minister Abba Eban. Prime Minister Eshkol spoke on the political implications of the new Syrian tactics.
The decisions of the Cabinet were not made public. However Mr Eban will send another note to the United Nations on the subject for distribution among the members of the U.N. Security Council. Gen. Weizmann said that the new military tactics embarked upon this weekend by Syrian terrorists seem to emulate the tactics used by Viet Cong guerrillas.
During the weekend, the Syrians fired seven 60-mm mortar shells at the Israeli border settlement of Manara from the Lebanese side of the border. In a second incident, Syrian infiltrators blew up a water pump on Lake Tiberias, about three miles from the Syrian border.
One of the mortar shells damaged one house in the Manara kibbutz. Three fell short and the other three could not be found. The new tactic apparently was decided on, officials said here, after several groups of marauders were intercepted recently by Israeli patrols. The shelling lasted three to four minutes. Army experts said 60-mm mortars are standard Syrian army equipment The gunners moved into Lebanese territory about 15 miles from the Syrian border. (A report from Damascus today confirmed that the shelling was done by the Syrian terrorist group, Al Assefa.)
In another weekend incident, five members of a northern kibbutz escaped injury when a pickup truck in which they were riding hit a mine and was wrecked in Upper Galilee near the Lebanese border. The vehicle, driven by a Daram settlement member and carrying Sasa settlement residents, had almost reached Daram when the driver saw a suspicious object on the road. He immediately swerved the vehicle but it detonated the mine, blasting the truck off the ground. Footprints of four men were found leading to the Lebanese border.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
