Israel-jordan Front Cools Off; Israelis Ponder Motives Behind Iraqi Attacks

The Israel-Jordan demarcation line was quiet today for the first time in four days as political and military circles here pondered the possible motives behind the Iraqi artillery attacks from Jordanian soil on Israeli border settlements. Those attacks triggered yesterday’s Israeli air strike against the 10,000-12,000-man Iraqi force stationed in northwest Jordan and their weapon and radar concentrations. The force comprises more than a division with auxiliary units.

The consensus was that the Iraqi bombardment stemmed from political rather than military considerations. Iraqi troops have been stationed on Jordanian soil since the June. 1967 war. although they saw no action in that conflict, and Baghdad has never agreed to a cease-fire agreement with Israel. They operate independently of Jordanian authorities and are known to have given considerable aid to Arab marauders. But until last week they refrained from direct action and their artillery attack on Beisan and Jordan Valley settlements was unprovoked by any action by Israel.

Some observers said the Iraqi attack was intended to disrupt any plans Jordan may have for entering into peace talks with Israel and also to divert attention from Iraq’s domestic troubles. Others speculated that the Iraqis have a vested interest in continued bloodshed and tension along the Israel-Jordan demarcation line because that may be seen as an excuse for Iraqis remaining in Jordan. These observers pointed out that the Iraqis have overstayed their welcome in Jordan and that King Hussein, who has had serious troubles with Palestinian command groups, regards the Iraqi military presence as a source of domestic friction. Israeli officials said Iraq may have sought to start trouble with Israel to divert attention at home from economic difficulties and the seemingly endless war with the Kurds. They noted that President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt has resorted to similar tactics to still unrest at home. Israel’s Defense Minister, Gen. Moshe Dayan, noted last week that the Iraqi commander in Jordan supervised an “eastern front” which is supposed to relieve Egypt from the burden of protecting Jordan. Some observers said today that Col. Nasser may have asked the Iraqis to escalate the tension on the Israel-Jordan border because of the recent student riots in Egypt or because the Egyptians may be planning new aggressive acts themselves.

An Israeli military spokesman said the Iraqi artillery barrage was well planned and organized. It began simultaneously along the whole sector facing the Beisan and northern Jordan Valleys. Shell fragments indicated that the Iraqis used 122-millimeter howitzers and other weapons with which the Iraqi, but not the Jordanian Army, is equipped. The spokesman said that three Iraqi batteries were concentrated around Irbid, Jordan’s second largest city, with a population of over 100,000. A radar station was located between Irbid and Mafraq and a weapons and armored vehicle depot was located near Mafraq, a rail and road junction. These were the main targets of Israeli jets. The spokesman said that the air attack lasted one hour and that almost every type of plane in the Israel Air Force was employed, using a variety of bombs and other weapons. He said all targets were set afire, noting that Israeli pilots exercised great care not to hit the civilian population. The attack was intended as a warning to Iraq that its shelling of Israeli settlements would not go unpunished. No sorties were flown against Jordanians. A high-ranking Israeli officer said that the Israeli jets were unopposed by any aircraft although some “Arab” aircraft were spotted by the Israeli pilots. These planes did not engage them and the pilots later differed on what type or nationality they may have been. One source said Iraqi MIGs were seen taking off but none went into action.

Radio broadcasts from Baghdad heard here today gave a picture of frenzied mobs raging through the streets as a funeral procession bore the bodies of Iraqi troops – of unspecified numbers who were killed in the Israeli air raid. The mobs demanded vengeance against Israel, the annihilation of the Jewish State and a war “to the death” against Israel. They also hurled epithets at the United States. Baghdad radio called it the greatest protest in Iraqi history. Later Iraqi Premier Ahmed Hassan Al-Bakr went on the air and accused the U.S. and Israel of plotting a campaign of “sabotage and assassination” to force the withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Jordan. Cairo radio yesterday broadcast a speech by Col. Nasser who vowed to punish Israel “even if it costs a million casualties.”

Israel today accused Jordan of responsibility for the murder of an Israeli pilot whose Super Mystery jet was shot down over Jordanian territory yesterday. According to an Israeli spokesman, the pilot, Lt. Nadav Nehorat of Bet Alpha, a Beisan Valley settlement, was seen parachuting safely. When Israeli rescue helicopters arrived on the scene they found him seriously wounded, shot at close range apparently by Jordanian civilians. The pilot died on the helicopter while receiving medical treatment.