Syrians and Israelis exchanged fire for more than two hours early this morning near Kibbutz Haon, in the demilitarized zone southeast of Lake Tiberias, after a Syrian army post opened the altercation with machine-guns. There were no casualties on the Israeli side.
The altercation started at 5 a.m. local time when, without warning, Syrian machine-guns started firing at two tractors at work in the Israeli fields. An Israeli patrol returned the fire. The area is a sensitive one where Syrian-Israeli fighting had taken place several times in 1964. While United Nations military observers tried to arrange a cease-fire, the Israeli tractors continued at their work.
The U. N. Teams succeeded in getting an agreement from both sides to halt their fire after two hours and 15 minutes. By that time, the Israeli tractor workers had completed the chore assigned to them for the day.
Earlier this weekend, Israeli and Jordanian troops exchanged shots for several hours, after Jordanian troops opened fire, lightly wounding one Israeli border policeman, near Mei Ami, an outpost in the “Little Triangle” section of the Israeli-Jordanian frontier.
After the policeman had been injured by fire from a nearby Jordanian army post, reinforcements were sent to the spot by Israel. As the Israelis returned fire, while the Jordanians continued to retort, United Nations Military observers tried to effect a cease-fire, which was ignored by the Jordanians. Rifle and machine-gun fire continued until nightfall.
In London, the Times reported from Amman, capital of Jordan, a Jordanian claim that an Israeli army unit of company strength, supported by three tanks, had raided the Jordanian village of Anin. The Jordanian military spokesman said the raid had followed a three-hour exchange of fire between the two sides across the border, near the Jordanian village of Anin. The Jordanian military spokesman said the raid had followed a three-hour exchange of fire between the two sides across the border, near the Jordanian villages of Anin and Um Al-Rihan. According to Jordan, the Israelis withdrew, “leaving several dead and wounded behind them,” but Jordan suffered no casualties.
A Jordanian court has sentenced 38 persons to lengthy prison terms after they were convicted on charges of espionage for Israel, it was reported here today over the radio. Eleven others were acquitted of the charges, the broadcast said. Life sentences were imposed on four defendants; ten year terms on five; 20 were given seven years; one six years and eight five years. No details were given of the specific charges.
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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.