An Israeli border policeman was killed and three others were wounded when their patrol was ambushed last night outside of Salem village near Nabatiya in south Lebanon. Israeli forces searching for the attackers found the tracks of two men near the scene of the ambush.
Meanwhile, Beirut radio reported heavy fighting since dawn today between opponents and supporters of Palestine Liberation Organization chief Yasir Arafat in the Bekaa valley in eastern Lebanon. The PLO dissidents, with heavy Syrian support, were said to have extended their hold on part of the Beirut-Damascus highway, cutting off Arafat supporters from their supply bases between the Shouf mountains and the Syrian border.
The PLO rebels were also reported to have overrun several local EI Fatah headquarters. EI Fatah is the PLO faction loyal to Arafat. Arafat himself was in Tripoli in northern Lebanon today trying to rally his supporters there. He publicly accused Syria of aiding the PLO mutineers and appealed to the Arab world for support against Damascus and the rebels.
The Christian radio in Beirut claimed today that Arafat narrowly escaped death yesterday when his convoy of cars heading to Tripoli from Damascus was ambushed in northern Syria. His personal bodyguard returned the fire and Arafat and his men escaped unharmed, according to the radio report which was unconfirmed.
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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.
