Israeli sources claimed today that the United Nations Disengagement Observers Force (UNDOF) has confirmed a Syrian violation of the disengagement accord. The sources said that an investigation by UNDOF corroborated Israel’s recent complaint that the Syrians have placed more tanks in the limited forces zone than allowed under the agreement–some 90 tanks instead of 75. Israel has also charged the Syrians have two artillery batteries in the zone, more than the disengagement terms permit.
(In Washington, the State Department said to-day it has not received any complaint of a violation from Israel.)
Meanwhile, UN forces have evacuated a second position on Mt. Hermon because of severe weather conditions and now hold only one of the three positions they occupied on the 9000-foot mountain when the disengagement agreement went into effect. Mt. Hermon lies in the buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces. According to Israeli sources, the UN forces can patrol only one-half of the zone because a road completed by the Syrians after the disengagement agreement was signed is not included on the maps delineating the areas that are to be patroled.
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