Defense Minister Moshe Davan briefed the Cabinet on security matters today, but his remarks, which were believed to have included an assessment of the situation in Lebanon, were not disclosed.
Authoritative sources said here tonight that Israel was watching developments in Lebanon and would reassess its position should large forces cross into that country from neighboring states, notably Syria, and particularly if such forces occupied areas adjacent to the Israeli border. The sources said that Israel would not differentiate between Syrian Army regulars and Al Saiqa or other terrorist groups armed and equipped by the Syrians.
The situation in Lebanon worsened today. Lebanese Air Force jets continued to attack Palestinian terrorist positions near Beirut airport after a cease-fire agreed on last night broke down. The Army reported that a terrorist attack on the airport was repulsed. Premier Amin Hafez submitted his resignation today to President Suleiman Franjieh after only ten days in office Hafez was named Premier on April 25 after Israeli commando raids on terrorist headquarters in Beirut forced the previous government out of power.
West Bank and East Jerusalem Arabs ignored calls from neighboring Arab states for a general strike in the administered territories yesterday to protest Israel’s Independence Day military parade. Scores of Arab residents lined the route of march in East Jerusalem and others watched the parade from windows and roof tops. Large numbers of Arabs reportedly watched it on television.
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.
