An Israeli Army periodical disclosed today that Israel is using Russian-built troop-carriers captured in the June, 1967 Six-Day War. According to the weekly Bamachaneh, the Army has adapted two types of Russian carriers–the BTR-150 which is capable of transporting a squad of fully armed men over difficult terrain, and the smaller BTR-50. The well contoured armour-plating of the carriers offers protection against everything except artillery and recoilless guns, the publication said.
Bamachaneh also disclosed that Israeli sharpshooters have been replying to Egyptian snipers who fire almost daily across the Suez Canal and are responsible for a large portion of Israeli casualties in the canal zone. The Israeli marksmen have already scored a number of hits on Egyptian snipers, Bamachaneh said.
(The Washington columnists, Robert S. Allen and John A. Goldsmith reported today that “Egypt now has more Russian anti-aircraft missiles and radar-controlled guns than Communist North Vietnam” and that this Egyptian concentration “is the largest and most modern outside of Russia. It consists of hundreds of latest-model SAM missiles and radar-operated artillery.”)
An Israeli civilian vehicle was fired on last night on the main Sinai road near El Arish. There were no casualties, a military spokesman reported. An Israeli patrol was attacked with bazooka shells near Kfar Ruppin in the Beisan Valley this morning. The fire was returned and no casualties were reported on the Israeli side.
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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.
