Israeli sources today flatly denied foreign press reports that Israel was massing troops and armor on the Lebanese border preparatory to direct involvement in the Lebanese conflict. The reports, attributed to Lebanese Moslems and Christians, claimed that the Israeli concentrations were in response to the terrorist attack Monday on the Maronite Christian village of Ein Ebel near the Israeli border.
The Israeli sources said that Israel was increasing its assistance to Lebanese seeking medical treatment or jobs. They said that larger numbers of Lebanese came to the medical aid stations at Metullah and Dovev today than previously and that there has been no decline in the number of Lebanese workers in Israel who now number over 200.
The sources acknowledged that terrorists in Lebanon are attempting to disrupt the work of the border clinics but all attacks mounted against them have been foiled by the Lebanese villagers in the region.
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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.